What Did Pashinyan and the President of the French National Assembly Discuss?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation led by Yaël Braun-Pivet, the President of the French National Assembly. In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister stated, “Dear Madam President, I am pleased to welcome you in the Republic of Armenia with such a representative delegation. Your visit is very important for us and has both symbolic and political significance. I believe that this visit primarily showcases the political dynamics that has continuously expressed itself through new manifestations throughout our country’s entire period of independence.”

Pashinyan expressed his happiness in noting that their bilateral relations, which they refer to as privileged, find expression at all levels of state governance and local self-government. He emphasized the special importance for Armenia of the reflection of the issues arising and existing around their country in France, particularly in the parliamentary chambers of France, stating, “This is very important for us. We constantly have opportunities to applaud the National Assembly and the Senate of France, and if I were to list those occasions now, it would take quite a while. I would like to thank you and our parliamentary colleagues for such political will.”

He also expressed confidence that the political and human warmth existing between Armenia and France for many years would have new substantial manifestations.

President Yaël Braun-Pivet thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome and noted that it was a great honor for her to be in friendly Armenia. She mentioned the statements and resolutions adopted by the National Assembly and the Senate regarding the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor, adding that they would continue to actively keep the issues of the Armenian population of Artsakh in focus and seek solutions.

The meeting addressed the steps being taken to overcome the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh caused by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The fact of Azerbaijan's repeated violation of the statement of November 9, 2020, was emphasized, and the importance of the international community's attention and appropriate response to it was highlighted. They exchanged views on the processes occurring in the region.

Regarding Armenian-French relations, Pashinyan and Braun-Pivet stressed the necessity of developing and expanding cooperation in various fields, particularly emphasizing deeper ties in economics, tourism, education, science, and culture. They were informed that flights between Marseille and Yerevan would commence soon, which would contribute to the development of cooperation in tourism. Questions regarding the expansion of the activities of the French University in Armenia were also discussed.

At the request of the guests, Prime Minister Pashinyan addressed the ongoing democratic and institutional reforms in Armenia, emphasizing that the rich agenda of reforms is one of the priorities of the Government of Armenia. “No event or issue should divert us from the path of reforms; our response to challenges must be asymmetric,” the Prime Minister noted.