On June 18, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan received the delegation of the Armenian-French Friendship Group of the French National Assembly led by Jacques Marilossian, the head of the group.
Welcoming the guests, Minister Mnatsakanyan commended the regular visits of French parliamentarians to Armenia, highlighting the importance of the effective cooperation built between the parliaments of the two countries. “Armenia has the warmest feelings towards France, which is linked to Armenia and the Armenian people with centuries-long strong relations,” the Armenian Foreign Minister emphasized.
Expressing gratitude for the reception, the French parliamentarians underscored that they would spare no effort to further strengthen the ties that are based on friendship and rich historical traditions between the two countries.
At the meeting the agenda issues of the Armenian-French privileged relations were discussed, both sides acknowledged that there is a continuous upward trend in the cooperation of the two friendly countries. The interlocutors touched upon joint steps aimed at intensifying bilateral trade and economic ties, emphasizing on both sides the importance of exploiting of the potential in this area.
At the meeting, the sides outlined the new opportunities provided by the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement for cooperation both between Armenia and the European Union, and in the bilateral format.
Issues related to the Armenian-French decentralized cooperation, the expansion of ties in the spheres of science, education and culture were also on the agenda of the meeting. Touching upon the cooperation in the field of education Minister Mnatsakanyan noted that the French presence in the educational system of Armenia is visible and welcomed.
The interlocutors also focused on preparations for the upcoming summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie to be held in October and related events.
Foreign Minister of Armenia highlighted the importance of the joint efforts exerted by France, together with other OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries – Russia and the United States, towards peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this context, the importance of creating an environment conducive to peace for the success of the process was emphasized. Members of the French parliament underlined the necessity of maintaining the ceasefire regime and expressed their support to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.