Meeting with the French Minister-in-charge of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness, and French Nationals Abroad

On November 12, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who was in Paris on a working visit, met with Olivier Becht, the French Minister-in-charge of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness, and French Nationals Abroad, the Press Office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

The interlocutors touched upon the deepening of the trade-economic ties between the two countries and the steps towards more effective use of the existing potential. In this context, both sides highlighted the importance of the Roadmap of the Armenian-French Economic Cooperation signed last December, which outlines the prospects of cooperation in infrastructure, energy, high-tech agriculture, healthcare, and tourism.

The possible participation of the French side in various economic and investment programs implemented in Armenia was also discussed. The interlocutors commended the close ties established in Armenian-French decentralized cooperation.

Meeting with the Foreign Minister of France

On November 11, Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Catherine Colonna, the Foreign Minister of France.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Catherine Colonna commended the high level of privileged Armenian-French relations based on the friendship and shared values of the two peoples. The interlocutors discussed issues of the rich cooperation agenda between Armenia and France.

"Ararat Mirzoyan briefed the interlocutor on the recent developments regarding the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the position of the Armenian side on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the unblocking of transport infrastructures in the region. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia emphasized that the maximalist approaches and warmongering rhetoric of Azerbaijan are undermining the efforts towards establishing security and stability in the region," the report added.

"Ararat Mirzoyan expressed his gratitude to Catherine Colonna for the principled position of the French side in eliminating the consequences of the Azerbaijani aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on September 13-14. At the same time, France's role as the Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group in promoting the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was highly appreciated," the statement stated.

Both sides highlighted the importance of the statement adopted following the quadrilateral meeting held in Prague on October 6. Issues on the activities of the EU Observation Mission in Armenia and the OSCE Needs Assessment Mission were also discussed during the meeting.