Avinyan and Lakot Address the Process of Prisoner Exchange

On December 9, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan received the Ambassador of France to Armenia, Jonathan Lakot. During the meeting, a range of issues related to Artsakh were discussed in detail. The parties agreed that the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group is the only format for a comprehensive resolution of the issue.

Tigran Avinyan emphasized the importance of adopting resolutions in the French Senate and the National Assembly recognizing the Republic of Artsakh. The interlocutors addressed the humanitarian situation that has developed in Artsakh, as well as the issues regarding the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage. In this context, the Armenian side highly appreciated the personal involvement of the friendly people of France and French President Emmanuel Macron in providing humanitarian assistance to displaced persons.

The role of UNESCO in the preservation of cultural heritage sites was also highlighted. Speaking about the process of prisoner exchange, Tigran Avinyan noted that the Armenian side proposed to apply the principle of “all for all” as well as to create a mechanism wherein each side commits to return newly identified prisoners without preconditions.

The Deputy Prime Minister mentioned that the government is currently working on the development of an anti-crisis economic program aimed at restoring the country’s economic activity. Addressing bilateral economic relations, Ambassador Jonathan Lakot stated that the Armenian-French agenda is quite rich and that active work should be carried out to implement new projects. In this context, possible avenues for cooperation and investment in agriculture, healthcare, electricity, water sector, and infrastructure were discussed.