The Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, was in Paris yesterday (9 March), for meeting with French leaders, and to participate in a Franco-Armenian cooperation forum.
The event, entitled “Ambitions: Armenia-France”, brought together members of the Armenian and French governments, businesses, NGOs and French-Armenian civil society associations to discuss issues relating to the development of cooperation in various fields between the two countries.
Pashinyan was joined by a number of senior government officials, including the foreign minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, the minister of health, Anahit Avanesyan, and the minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, Gnel Sanosyan.
In Paris, the Armenian leader also met with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to discuss Franco-Armenian relations. They expressed confidence that the forum would give a new impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, infrastructure, tourism, health, education, science and culture.
Pashinyan highlighted that the Armenian government was interested in the expansion of French business in the Armenian market, and Macron stressed France's readiness and interest in deepening ties with Armenia in economic and humanitarian spheres.
The interlocutors also discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, with Pashinyan updating Macron on recent incidents along the border, which resulted in the death of one Armenian soldier earlier this week. They also touched upon the importance of a comprehensive settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk-Group Co-Chair’s format and the implementation of the trilateral statements.
During his time in Paris, Pashinyan held a meeting with the European Council President, Charles Michel, where they exchanged views on cooperation between Armenia and the EU, as well as the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Discussing his visit in a Cabinet meeting earlier today, Pashinyan said that his event had been a success, adding that it was important to use the momentum from the summit to implement the agenda and boost economic ties.