French President Emmanuel Macron invited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Paris on March 9 to participate in the forum of Armenian-French cooperation. The text of the invitation was published by the French Embassy in Armenia.

The event will be organised on the 30th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between Paris and Yerevan. Macron noted that the countries have established a strong partnership during this time.

“I am glad that our political, cultural and economic contacts continue to strengthen thanks to the adoption of the roadmap for economic cooperation, the provision of doses of vaccines to help Armenia fight the epidemic crisis, as well as the recent establishment of the French Institute in Armenia,” Macron said in a message of congratulations.

He noted that he organised a meeting in Paris to celebrate the anniversary. The new platform is aimed at developing relations between the two countries in the future. Macron assured Pashinyan that France aims to strengthen partnership in the coming years.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia confirmed the return of eight servicemen from Azerbaijan. On February 7, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry published a message about this.

“Through the mediation of French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Council Charles Michel, 8 Armenian prisoners of war returned to their homeland,” the report says.

Also, President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met virtually on the 4th of February 2022.

President Michel and President Macron reaffirmed their full commitment to supporting efforts aimed at reducing tension and building trust in the region.

In December 2021, two major rivals to President Emmanuel Macron in France's presidential elections paid high-profile visits to Armenia.

Eric Zemmour, a far-right commentator known for his anti-Islam and anti-immigration rants, visited Armenia earlier this month shortly after announcing his candidacy for the April 2022 elections, describing Armenia to be a country of "martyrs” in peril.

He was followed by Valerie Pecresse, the candidate of the right-wing Republicans (LR), who is viewed as the biggest threat to Macron in the elections by some observers and who has risen in polls since her nomination. Pecresse has also visited Nagorno-Karabakh, prompting strong condemnation from Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

In December last year, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels on the initiative of Charles Michel, head of the European Council.

Following the meeting, the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia reiterated their commitment to the trilateral accords negotiated with Russia's mediation, according to European Council President Charles Michel. The success in creating communication between the defence agencies was highlighted by both presidents. The European Council suggested that Yerevan and Baku establish a forum for the growth of economic cooperation and the strengthening of trust.