Armenia reaffirms its readiness to continue negotiations on the  Karabakh settlement in a constructive atmosphere

ArmInfo.For Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, it will be a great honor to receive French President  Emmanuel Macron in the autumn 2018, who will pay a state visit to Armenia, after which he will attend the summit of Francophonie. On the eve, during the meeting with the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Nikol Pashinyan himself stated.

According to him, according to the press service of the Armenian  government, active preparations are being made in Armenia for this  important event. The Prime Minister highly appreciated the current  level of the Armenian-French relations and stressed the mutual warm  attitude. "I am confident that the dialogue between our countries,  including between governments, parliaments and local self-government  bodies, will continue with the same intensity." The French business  in our country is not represented at the proper level.  "Today there  are all prerequisites and conditions for bringing trade and economic  relations to the level of political, "- said the Prime Minister.  Nikol Pashinyan thanked the French side for assistance in the  international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. He highly  appreciated the role of France as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group in  the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, confirming Armenia's  readiness to continue negotiations in a constructive atmosphere.

Jean-Yves Le Drian congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his election to  the post of prime minister, as well as on the 100th anniversary of  the First Republic, noted that the Armenian-French relations are  rooted deep into the centuries. "Our country is always near you and  Emmanuelle Macron will personally speak about this during his visit  to Armenia," the minister said. He expressed confidence that the  summit of Francophonia will be held at a high level, and also  stressed the importance of intensifying economic relations.

Speaking about the Karabakh conflict, he stressed that France is  aware of its responsibility as a co- chairman of the OSCE Minsk  Group. He stressed that the conflict should be resolved exclusively  through peaceful negotiations, and added that violence or the use of  force can not be considered a possibility of settlement.  The sides  noted the importance of developing Armenia-EU cooperation within the  framework of the Agreement on Comprehensive and Enhanced Cooperation.  They pointed to the importance of early ratification of the document  by the EU countries and the beginning of negotiations on easing the  visa regime. The interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the  cooperation in the spheres of education and culture, touched on the  holding of new elections in Armenia, the reforms of the Electoral  Code.