France wants Armenia's full association with the European Union, but this does not mean a breakup with Russia, French President Francois Hollande said during a joint press-conference with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan on Tuesday.
He said that France cannot punish Armenia for its cooperation with Russia. "Our goal is to understand rather than condemn. We must realize that Armenia is facing extraordinary conditions," Hollande said.
Sargsyan said that Armenia and Russia have historically been close to each other and for a few decades were parts of one and the same state. "Today our economy is closely integrated with the Russian economy. That's why we have chosen the Customs Union. We are also part of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization," Sargsyan said. He noted that the Customs Union would give Armenia certain economic preferences, for example, a chance to buy fuel at soft prices, which is really crucial for a country with limited resources. "This will help us to produce competitive goods. But this does not mean that we are not going to enlarge our cooperation with the European Union," Sargsyan said.