ArmInfo. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is in Brussels, held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron the day before.
As the press service of the Armenian government reports, the Armenian Prime Minister, first of all, congratulated Macron on the French team's exit to the World Cup final, wishing the team success in the decisive meeting. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that Armenia appreciates the special relations with France, which are built on the basis of good neighborly relations between the two peoples and mutual respect. "We are honored to host the 17th international summit of the countries of Francophonie, and we express our gratitude to France for the assistance provided in the process of preparing for this event," the RA Prime Minister said, adding that within the framework of the summit, much attention will be paid to the economic component, in particular, it is planned to hold a business forum of entrepreneurs of countries of Francophonie. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that all conditions were created for entrepreneurship in Armenia. He expressed his conviction that in the new conditions the Armenian-French economic relations will receive a new impetus. The Prime Minister believes that the upcoming state visit of Emmanuel Macron to Armenia and his participation in such an important event as the summit of the countries of Francophonie will become resonant both for Armenia and for the entire French-speaking community.
Emmanuel Macron congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his election to the post of prime minister, pointing out the importance of peaceful, democratic resolution of the events taking place in Armenia. The French President noted that his country is ready to expand cooperation with friendly Armenia in various areas, including in the trade and economic sphere. Emmanuel Macron expressed confidence that the forum of Francophonie in Yerevan will be held at the highest level, noting that during his visit to Armenia he hopes for a substantive discussion on the further development of the Armenian-French cooperation and the implementation of joint programs.
During the meeting, the interlocutors also discussed the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. They pointed to the importance of its resolution in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group. Nikol Pashinyan highly appreciated the efforts of the mediators, including France, to peacefully settle the conflict and ensure regional security. The Prime Minister stressed that Armenia remains committed to the negotiation process with the mediation efforts of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. He added that any attempt to resolve the conflict by force should be viewed as a provocation directed against democracy and human rights.