President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by member of the National Assembly of the French Republic, President of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan in France Jean-Francois Mancel.

Noting that member of the National Assembly of the French Republic, President of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan in France Jean-Francois Mancel was a close friend of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev hailed his role in developing the relations between the two countries. Touching upon the 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Baku, the head of state said the guests from a number of countries had already arrived for the event, and hailed the fact that France was represented at the event by a large delegation.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that the Forum also created a good opportunity for discussing the bilateral ties. The head of state expressed confidence that Jean-Francois Mancel`s visit to Azerbaijan would be a success.

Member of the National Assembly of the French Republic, President of the Association of Friends of Azerbaijan in France Jean-Francois Mancel said they supported Azerbaijan`s fair position in this complicated situation. He noted that they were working to ensure that the French government demonstrates a fair stance on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the French society knows Azerbaijan better. Touching upon the interparliamentary cooperation, Jean-Francois Mancel praised the close friendship and cooperation with head of Azerbaijan-France interparliamentary friendship group, Azerbaijan`s first lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

At the meeting, the sides highlighted the importance of the 7th UNAOC Global Forum, hailed the development of Azerbaijan-France bilateral ties, and expressed confidence that these relations would continue to strengthen.