Azerbaijan – Meeting between Jean-Yves Le Drian and Finance Minister Samir Sharifov (Paris, 18 July 2018)
On July 18, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian hosted Samir Sharifov, minister of finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Following Mr. Le Drian’s meetings in Baku on May 27, the purpose of this meeting was to prepare for Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s working visit to Paris on July 20.
The ministers reviewed projects by French companies in Azerbaijan, especially in the fields of energy, transportation, the environment, urban development, and tourism, in the context of the diversification of the economy desired by Azerbaijani authorities.
Azerbaijan is France’s leading economic partner in the South Caucasus, with a bilateral trade volume of €739 million in 2017.