Meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and Édouard Philippe

On February 21, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted the delegation led by Édouard Philippe, the former Prime Minister of France, who now serves as the Mayor of Le Havre, the Press Office of the Armenian Prime Minister reported.

The Prime Minister emphasized the consistent development of Armenian-French relations and underlined Philippe's efforts in strengthening them. Nikol Pashinyan highly appreciated the former French Prime Minister's visit to Armenia and Syunik Province.

"Édouard Philippe noted that he had a meeting with Karabakh Armenians in Goris, who cannot travel to Nagorno Karabakh due to the closure of the Lachin corridor, and assessed the situation on the spot," the report added.

"In this context, the international community's continuous attention and consistent steps in unblocking the Lachin Corridor to overcome the humanitarian, environmental, and energy crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh were highlighted," the information stated.

Meeting between Ararat Mirzoyan and Édouard Philippe

On the same day, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation headed by Édouard Philippe, with the participation of parliamentarians, and public and political figures, the Press Office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

The interlocutors commended the privileged relations between Armenia and France characterized by a high-level political dialogue and an expanding multi-faceted bilateral agenda․They also touched upon the prospects of Armenian-French cooperation.

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia highly appreciated the targeted assessments and efforts of the French side at different levels and formats, including the delegation members, aimed at establishing peace in the South Caucasus and addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," the report added.

The sides also highlighted the importance of deploying a new EU Civilian Monitoring Mission in Armenia.