ArmInfo. Sebastien Lecornu, the French Minister for the Armed Forces will arrive in Armenia today for a two-day visit. The purpose of his visit is to strengthen defense relations, Le Figaro writes.
"France and Armenia maintain historical relations of friendship, but defense relations have not been intensive," the French Ministry of the Armed Forces noted, emphasizing that this is the first visit of by a French defense minister to Armenia.
"In October 2023, France and Armenia signed a protocol of intent on air defense, which includes a contract for the purchase of three Ground Master (GM200) radars from Thales, which can detect enemy aircraft at a distance of 250 km, as well as a contract for the purchase of night vision systems- binoculars and equipment manufactured by Safran, which will be delivered on Thursday (February 22)," the statement said.
The security forces also announced plans to organize three mountain combat training courses by the French defense department, in which the Armenian military will participate. The French magazine also recalls that France, where a large Armenian community lives, played a mediating role in the conflict for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, whose conquest by Azerbaijan in September 2023 led to the expulsion of about 100,000 Armenians.
"Today, Armenia faces constant pressure, including on the border, from where its territory is bitten off. Armenia adheres to the logic of protecting its territory, and its population and defense cooperation with France are strictly committed to the logic of helping to protect their own territories," the ministry assured. The magazine further writes that Yerevan fears that its neighbor, richer, better armed and supported by Turkey, is using its advantage and is trying to forcefully connect the Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhijevan with its territory by invading southern Armenia.