On 12 February, French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Zacharie Gross stated in an interview that the French companies were ready to invest in Azerbaijan's energy sector, reported interfax.az. 

“One large French energy company, present in Azerbaijan, is ready to make multi-billion [euro] investments in the country's economy. Whether this intention will be realized or not depends on Azerbaijan. Other leading French companies seek to invest in the development of wind and solar electricity production in Azerbaijan. They have rich world experience in this area, and since the government is considering several important projects, I hope that they will soon work in Azerbaijan,” Gross said.

“In addition, the French Development Bank is ready to invest in green projects in Azerbaijan, such as solid waste treatment. This would allow the use of new clean technologies to reduce solid waste, which is beneficial for the environment and the local population,” he added. 

According to Gross, the urban service sector has the biggest development potential for bilateral relations between the two countries. “An improved water distribution system can reduce the amount of water consumed, improve its quality, and also solve the problem of flood waters in winter. In addition, given the importance of the Baku Metro for a large number of residents and guests of the capital, you can tackle the issues of accelerating the movement of trains. Cooperation is also possible in the field of improving air quality,” he said speaking in-depth on the topic.

Touching upon the trade turnover between France and Azerbaijan, the diplomat noted that this indicator is "at a rather low level." “At the end of 2018, the volume of trade between our countries amounted to about 615 million euros. This is disappointing because world-class French companies are able to offer Azerbaijan a lot to diversify the economy, including know-how and technology. They can help raise Azerbaijani standards to European standards,” he emphasized.