On July 11, the delegation led by the RA NA President Alen Simonyan, being on a working visit to France, met with the President of the Senate of the French Republic Gerard Larcher. The RA NA President expressed satisfaction for the opportunity to meet again and for the warm welcome.
The RA NA President underlined that the friendship of our countries, which unites the entire political field of France, was also formed thanks to the weighty political authority and personal efforts of the President of the Senate Larcher.
The parties touched upon many resolutions initiated and passed by the Senate condemning the Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, raising the necessity for the recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan and the immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the territory of Armenia. Alen Simonyan expressed gratitude to Larcher and more than 170 parliamentarians of the Republicans Party of France on June 12 for the collective call to prevent the planned end of Nagorno-Karabakh and the risk of massacres of the Armenian population of that area.
In response, the President of the Senate responded that he never had the habit of signing open letters, but he is one of the first signatories of the open letter concerning our country and Artsakh Armenians and is ready to support Armenia by all possible means.
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At the meeting, reference was made to the work carried out within the framework of the agreement signed between the two parliaments, as well as the active interaction of inter-parliamentary friendship groups.
At the request of his French partner, Alen Simonyan gave details of the situation created as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression, touching upon the impossibility of realizing the rights of Artsakh Armenians, who are actually under siege as a result of the Lachin Corridor crisis.
The RA NA President underscored that the Azerbaijani armed forces are maintaining a strong military presence in the border zones adding that they rely on the support of France and other international partners in unleashing aggression.
He reminded that the Armenian authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to establishing a comprehensive and long-term peace in the region, and the continuous efforts of international partners in this direction is an important factor for achieving results with joint forces.
The partners exchanged ideas on deploying the EU mission in Armenia, which significantly contributed to the establishment of relative stability on our eastern borders.
The delegation led by the NA President took part in the official welcome ceremony in the meeting hall.
The meeting with the President of the Senate was preceded by a visit to the pantheon of famous politicians, military figures, intellectuals and famous writers, considered the national treasure of France. In February of next year, it is planned to rebury the remains of French national hero, a posthumous recipient of the French Legion of Honor medal Misak Manushyan in the Pantheon. The RA NA President expressed special thanks to the most consistent author of the initiative to transfer Misak Manushyan’s remains to the French Pantheon, the Senator, the member of France-Armenia Friendship Group Pierre Ouzoulias, who was present at the meeting. On this occasion, the President of the Senate mentioned that he had recently re-read the optimistic letter addressed to Misak Manushyan’s wife before he was shot, which characterizes the freedom-loving and devotion of the Armenian people to democratic values.
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia