Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to discuss bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

Editor's note: Darya Grevtsova is deputy director of the Institute of Political Studies and a Russian political scientist. The article reflects the author's personal opinion and may not coincide with the views of News.Az.

Allies of French President Emmanuel Macron have denied allegations involving First Lady Brigitte Macron and claims surrounding a reported incident on a presidential trip, as well as suggestions linked to private messages between the president and an Iranian-French actress.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Africa should lead efforts to resolve its own political and security crises during a trilateral meeting in Addis Ababa with African Union Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Emmanuel Macron has announced €23 billion ($27bn) in investments during the Africa Forward summit held in Kenya, as France seeks to strengthen its economic and political ties with African nations.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that Africa will receive €23 billion ($27 billion) in investments, including €14 billion ($16 billion) from France, according to BFM TV.

Emmanuel Macron called for stronger technology and energy cooperation between Africa and Europe on Monday, urging both continents to reduce their dependence on American and Chinese technologies during the opening of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.

The European Political Community summit will likely be remembered for its emotional meetings and conspicuous displays of warm friendship between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and French President Emmanuel Macron. Had these displays been somewhat more restrained and dignified, they might not have attracted much attention. After all, cordial relations between politicians from different countries are perfectly normal.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the Islamic Republic is ready to actively pursue diplomatic channels to end the war, while insisting on securing the rights of the Iranian people.

Editor’s note: Zaur Nurmamedov is a journalist and a graduate of the Faculty of Political Science at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1993–1999). He previously served as first deputy editor-in-chief of the Vesti.Az news portal (2009–2023). The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the position of News.Az.