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Spring 1998 (6.1) Diplomatic Interview
Recently, Ambassador Guinhut took a few moments to share with us his thoughts about Azerbaijan. What career
path has brought you to Azerbaijan? I joined the Foreign Service in early 1975 and was immediately posted to the Emirate of Qatar, where I participated in the opening of the French Embassy in Doha (1975-76). Later I held foreign assignments in the Islamic Republic of Iran (1980-82; 1988-93), where I witnessed both the beginning and end of the Iran-Iraq war. In between those assignments, I served three years in Libya as first counselor (1982-85). Later I worked three years in New York (1985-88) as an expert on the Middle East at the French Mission to the United Nations. When I returned to Paris again after being abroad more than 12 years abroad, I was put in charge of Middle Eastern countries (1993-96). Afterwards I was assigned as Ambassador to Baku. How did you
feel about being assigned here? I should also mention that I made a series of trips to Bandar Anzali (Iran) at the end of 1980, when no flights were operating between Iran and the rest of the world. It was still the Soviet period and we had to travel via Moscow and Baku to reach Iran. But, in addition, when I lived in Iran I had many opportunities to discover Azerbaijani musicians. I particularly enjoyed the wonderful singer Rashid Behbudov, as well as many famous mugam artists. When did
France begin their relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan? Where does
France stand on the Karabakh question? Also, France is presently involved, along with the United States and Russia, in the mediation as the tripartite chairmanship of the Minsk group of the OSCE (Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe). Their task is coherent with the regional countries' quest for a just and durable peace based on the principles of international law, which were stated during the OSCE summit in Lisbon in December 1996. [The three principles of the Lisbon Summit include: (1) support for the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan; (2) the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh as one of the highest degrees of self-rule within Azerbaijan and (3) the guarantee for the security of Angorno-Karabakh and its entire population]. For the time being, the objective of the Minsk Group which has been commissioned to find a resolution to the conflict is to gather the parties around a negotiation table as soon as they have agreed along the lines already proposed to them by the co-chair. In what other
ways is France involved in Azerbaijan today? The French oil companies, ELF and Total, are both present and involved with oil development contracts in Baku. Several worldwide service firms such as Schlumberger and Enterpose (working with AIOC) are also here. French industrial groups are interested in the development of non-oil industries in as many fields of economic activity as Azerbaijan is ready to offer foreign investments in the coming years. The changing elements of Azerbaijani life in Baku include the legal framework of newly privatized activities and the installation of modern social and fiscal systems. This creates a challenging environment in which French businessmen are ready to involve their well-known, high-tech reputation, along with a unique capacity to share expertise and transfer technology. Last, but not least, French business groups and authorities want to help quickly clean out all counterfeits and forgeries from the Azerbaijani market. This invasion, with its outrageous prices, is inconsistent with the philosophy of a market economy. We want to bring in quality French goods and traditional luxuries (but, not only luxurious goods) at fair prices that are affordable to Azerbaijani citizens. What kind
of cultural exchange is going on between France and Azerbaijan? This interest in helping the public system is coherent with the global philosophy of all French regimes since the revolution of 1789. It is based on the democratic principle of equality of opportunity for all citizens, through a state-owned teaching system with adequate standards. This concern does not exclude private teaching institutions. French authorities believe that students should be free to learn whatever language they wish to learn, and as many languages as they wish to learn; this is both fair and democratic. The French Embassy, along with the Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris, wants to increase the reciprocal knowledge of both countries' artistic richness and talents through painting and photography exhibitions, concerts, seminars, fashion exhibitions and more frequent visits to and from Azerbaijan. [Reza Deghaty, world famous Azerbaijani photojournalist who currently lives in Paris, has opened an exhibition of his photographs from all over the world. The photos concentrate on the reality and horror of what it means to be an exile. They are currently on display at the Municipality of the 11th District in Paris. Two of the strongest images of the 60 photos on display are from Azerbaijan. The exhibition will be continuing throughout the remainder of the year. Contact Tel: 33-14846-3131]. Also, in this field, the French Embassy is pleased to take this occasion to congratulate and thank Azerbaijan International magazine for all of its efforts and initiatives to bring valuable materials to the awareness of the friends of this country. In reality, this magazine constitutes the first encyclopedia of Azerbaijan's civilization, culture and traditions. "Bravo et merci!" Where do
you think Azerbaijan is headed? As for working here in Azerbaijan,
I wonder if anyone ever leaves Baku forever at the end of their
assignment? As for myself, I don't think I'll be able to. |
Jean-Pierre
Guinhut (pronounced Geh-NOO) has been France's Ambassador
to Azerbaijan for the past year. In the public arena, he is known
for impressing and charming Azerbaijanis with his ability to
speak Azeri and his vast knowledge of Eastern culture. The most
recent eminent example occurred at the televised proceedings
at "Early Oil Day Celebration," on November 11, 1997,
at the Respublica Palace. In front of a gathering of Azerbaijan's
highest officials, dignitaries, and a capacity crowd of 3,000,
when Ambassador Guinhut started presenting his entire speech
in the Azeri language, the entire audience burst into spontaneously
applause.