Dear Mr. Hollande,
I sincerely congratulate you on being elected President of the Republic of France.
We are attaching special importance to the development of the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and France.
The high level of interstate relations and our fruitful cooperation in political, economic and humanitarian spheres are very reassuring.
Our joint activities in international organizations, within the framework of European institutions and in the area of energy security are characteristic of our bilateral cooperation and collaboration in the multilateral format.
As a country co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group, France has played an important part in the negotiated settlement of Azerbaijan's most painful problem, the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh on the basis of international law.
We are hopeful that your country will further enhance its efforts in the peace process and that you personally will contribute to this cause.
I wish you good health, happiness and every success in your activities for the benefit to the friendly people of France.
Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku, 7 May 2012