Heydar Aliyev: We met with you in 1995 in Paris, and we invited you to Azerbaijan at that time. At last after seven years you have realized my invitation. I have been in your country several times since 1995. But you did not find time to arrive to Azerbaijan. I do not criticize you. I know that you have your plans. In any case I think that it would not be rather well to remember the past.

Terry de Monbrial: Mr. President I know that you have very strong, legendary memory. Everybody knows it. Besides it I want to mark that you have very delicate sense of humor and you have demonstrated it once more. We met with you for the first time in 1995. At that time you have accepted my suggestion. I consider it an honour. At that time you agreed with my suggestion to carry out the exchange of opinions during supper. I remember it well. I was influenced from this meeting and your personality touched me.

For the second time it was February 1997. You agreed to deliver a lecture in my institute on foreign and international situation of Azerbaijan. And it was attracted great interest at listeners. I hope that you will arrive to France, Paris in a short time.

Heydar Aliyev: This meeting was not in February 1997, but in January.

Terry de Monbrial: Mr. President really your legendary memory once again has found its conformation.

I am in Azerbaijan three days. But I have such impression, as I have been here for a long time. I must confirm with great admiration the work which you have done since 1993. I understand perfectly how grandiose and complicated problem stands before us. Certainly a part of the difficulties arises in connection with the problems of refugees who you collided. However I declare with responsibility that during my stay in Azerbaijan I was made sure that there are highly skilled people who are able to solve these matters.

Mr. President I express my sincere gratitude that you have accepted me. Even I think you can stay here for some time. I promise that I will arrive to Azerbaijan once more.

Heydar Aliyev: If God pleases! I am very glad to your arrival to Azerbaijan. I was informed that you have visited some places, held meetings. The ambassador Elenora accompanies you everywhere. I understood how much she loves you that she personally accompanies you.

Terry de Monbrial: Mr. President, if you will appoint to all large countries of the world such ambassadors as Mrs. Huseynova so the question propaganda of Azerbaijan will be in a high level.

Heydar Aliyev: The matter is that there is no analogue of this. I am very thankful for kind words about our ambassador. Really our ambassador decently represents us.

I am very glad that you arrived to Azerbaijan and saw it with your own eyes. Really it is impossible to see everything in such short period. But I hope that you have a right impression of which you have seen. One of the main purposes in our foreign policy is to create right, correct, objective, fair impression not only in the leadership of Azerbaijan but in various groups.

The relations between France and Azerbaijan have a high friendship character. I want to declare to you that after two when I was elected as a president of Azerbaijan in 1993, my first visit was to France. I especially marked it in the presidential biography. At that time the President of your country was the late Mitterrand, I had a number of meetings with Mr. Mitterrand when I worked in Moscow in the past and we were close familiar. He immediately expressed his relation to my election as a President and invited me. In October of 1993 I was elected as a President, but in December I paid an official visit to France.

At that time we signed the first documents between Azerbaijan and France with the President Mitterrand in Elisei palace. After these the friendship relations are continued and developed. We immediately established very good relations with the President Jacque Chirac. I appreciate especially our friendship relations with him I give very important meaning to them. And not only it there are much common interests between France and Azerbaijan. And therefore we cooperate. The large oil companies of France have big shares in our contracts in Azerbaijan they work here, put investment and so they have got big development and our economic relations.

The President Jacque Chirac makes peculiar efforts in settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. In Paris was held the meeting of two presidents - the President of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Really we could not reach the settlement of conflict. But we are trying. I want to mark especially the activity of France in this direction.

You have familiarized with scholars, creative people. I think you have seen how much today's Azerbaijan is close to the European level. It is unusually that Azerbaijan as a country concerning to Europe has got such development, came nearer to Europe. I mean the establishment of European values in Azerbaijan. We attach special significance to our relations with France. We will develop these relations after this.

Your institute can render great assistance to us in this field. You have told about my meeting there. Some people apprehended it with surprise when I have told about Azerbaijan. We should continue this matter. I think you will tell in your institute, scientific centre about the impressions which you have got here. Your information can create more impression than my speech there. I hope you will do it.

Terry de Monbrial: I will do it of course, and not only before my collaborators, in my institute, but in other places. I have said there to many people that after this Azerbaijan will take a special place in my heart not in my head.

It was translated from newspaper "Azerbaijan", September 5, 2002

© aliyev-heritage.org