Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and French President Emmanuel Macron reviewed the development of their strategic partnership, economic cooperation and regional peace efforts during a meeting at the Élysée Palace in Paris on September 9.

The talks took place on the sidelines of the inaugural International Space Summit, which brought together government leaders, international organizations and representatives from the private sector to address issues facing the space industry. 

The two leaders underlined the importance of maintaining close bilateral ties in line with the strategic cooperation agreement signed earlier this year. Pashinyan, for his part, stressed Armenia’s interest in establishing more substantial cooperation with France in the space sector.

Economic ties were another major subject of the meeting. Both sides identified economic cooperation as a priority within the strategic partnership and highlighted Armenia’s efforts to diversify its economy and expand cooperation with new partners.

Infrastructure cooperation received particular focus, with the leaders noting that work on the Bargushat Tunnel has entered a substantive stage. Pashinyan and Macron highlighted the importance of launching construction as soon as possible. The tunnel is part of Armenia’s North-South highway project and is being developed with French companies.

The meeting also covered regional developments, with Pashinyan and Macron emphasizing the importance of implementing measures that strengthen peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

The talks came several months after Armenia and France formally upgraded their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership. The framework covers cooperation in areas including defense, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other sectors.