“You have come a long way in building a strong democratic country between East and West”, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron declared after the working dinner with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
During a press conference at the Élysée Palace, the French President assured: “France will always support you in an unstable region”.
Emmanuel Macron informed that Armenian Ambassador to Switzerland Charles Aznavour did not participate in the meeting, because he had a concert in Marseille.
The French President said 2018 will be an important year for Armenia, as Armenia will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the independence of the First Republic in May, and the French Foreign Minister will visit Armenia for this event.
Emmanuel Macron informed that he will visit Armenia at the invitation of the Republic of Armenia for Francophonie summit. Emmanuel Macron announced that during the working dinner, issues related to economic relations, investment, tourism, and energy were also discussed.
Emmanuel Macron also touched upon the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. He stated: “At the meeting with President Sargsyan I confirmed that it is important for us to find a solution to the conflict. It should be a bold compromise between the two countries”.
The French president announced that the talks that started in Geneva, all the other meetings, at the level of Presidents and Foreign Ministers, have an important role.
The French president also stressed the importance of the agreements reached in Krakow. Summing up, Emmanuel Macron declared: “I know that the preaching of peace is very difficult, and I want the meetings to have concrete results”.
Serzh Sargsyan considered the meeting with the French President impressive and frank. In his speech, he assured that their views on vital issues coincide, while in other issues those are very close. Serzh Sargsyan stated that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is one of the most sensitive issues in the region and assured:
“We talked about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which is perhaps one of the sensitive topics in our region. We appreciated the position, long-term efforts of France as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country aimed at the peaceful settlement of the conflict, and the establishment of security, stability, and cooperation in our region. Armenia is committed to continue negotiations mediated by the Co-Chairs. It is known that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are fighting for freedom for self-determination and such a struggle cannot not to have a successful end”.
Serzh Sargsyan said that the French president gave his approval to organize a Francophone businessmen forum within the framework of the Francophonie Summit, which will give a new impetus to the Armenian-French economic relations.
Touching upon the signing of the Armenia-EU agreement, Serzh Sargsyan assured, that this is an agreement that opens new horizons for bilateral cooperation.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
