Defense Minister Receives French Ambassador: Discussion on Turkish-Azerbaijani Military Exercises

On July 29, Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan received Jonathan Lacôte, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Armenia. During the meeting, current issues of bilateral cooperation and regional security were discussed.

The Ministry of Defense's Information and Public Relations Department reports that while presenting the recent situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border and the contact line between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the minister emphasized the important role of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group—Russian Federation, the United States, and particularly France, as a member state of the UN Security Council, the European Union, and NATO—in de-escalating tensions and continuing the negotiation process.

David Tonoyan, addressing the Turkish-Azerbaijani joint military exercises, noted that their tactical nature is not concerning from a purely military perspective; however, it is crucial that the exercises do not escalate into provocative actions in immediate proximity to the borders, defense structures, and other infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia.

The head of the defense department stressed that the Armenian side will closely monitor the progress of the exercises and subsequent developments.

Ambassador Jonathan Lacôte reaffirmed France's role as a mediator in the exclusively peaceful resolution of the conflict and appreciated the balanced atmosphere prevailing in Armenia, devoid of nationalist overtones and war calls throughout this period.