France says stands by Armenia in search for just, sustainable peace

PanARMENIAN.Net - France stands by Armenia in the search for a just and sustainable peace, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Catherine Colonna told Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday, May 1.

"I am visiting your country for the first time and firstly I convey the friendly greetings of the President to you", Colonna said .

"You know that France is Armenia's friend, stands by Armenia, and there are many things that connect us with this country. But I want to personally say once again: we stand by your side during the reforms, efforts, and work that you are conducting, we are also by your side in the search for a just and sustainable peace."

The Prime Minister welcomed the visit of the French Foreign Minister to Armenia and emphasized the special attitude and attention of our country for Armenia-France relations.

"I want to emphasize that I am very happy about the dynamics we have in our relationship. Not only are these relations at a high level, but I also think we have the potential to develop them. I want to express special thanks to the President of France, to you, to the government for the attention that is given to the problems of our region, in particular, to the crisis around the Nagorno Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor," Pashinyan said.

In turn, Catherine Colonna thanked for hosting and added: "I am visiting your country for the first time and firstly I convey the friendly greetings of the President to you. You know that France is Armenia's friend, stands by Armenia, and there are many things that connect us with this country. But I want to personally say once again: we stand by your side during the reforms, efforts, and work that you are conducting, we are also by your side in the search for a just and sustainable peace”.

Issues related to the further development and strengthening of cooperation between Armenia and France in various fields were discussed.

The two referred to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the situation around the Lachin Corridor, and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

They also emphasized the need for the immediate implementation of the decision of the International Court of Justice and the need for Azerbaijan to unblock the Lachin Corridor. Unilateral actions by Azerbaijan, including the establishment of a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor, which is a gross violation of the statement of November 9, 2020, were considered unacceptable.

The sides also exchanged thoughts on issues related to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In the context of ensuring security and stability in the region, the effective activity of the EU observation mission in Armenia was highlighted.