Armenian president meets Francois Hollande

During his working visit to Paris, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met with his French counterpart Francois Hollande. Serzh Sargsyan thanked the French president for his warm reception, noting that he was glad to visit friendly France again, the press service of Armenian president said.

The president of Armenia said with satisfaction that the historically close ties of the two countries, Armenian-French interstate relations have continued to develop over the past twenty years, reaching the highest level.

In the words of S. Sargsyan, the two coutries managed to achieve such a quality thanks to the political dialog at the highest level, mutual visits of presidents, close interparliamentray cooperation, cultural, educational, and scientific ties as well as contacts of responsible officials in various directions.

The Armenian president underlined the presence of quite a few French companies in the Armenian market, attaching importance to the development of decentralized cooperation.

During the meeting Serzh Sargsyan thanked Francois Hollande for continuing efforts of France on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Both presidents stressed once again that there is no alternative to the peaceful solution of the problem within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. According to Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia attaches special importance to the French president’s involvement in the process.

The interlocutors discussed in detail the prospects of Armenia’s cooperation with the European Union. They stressed the necessity to make efforts for keeping up the pace and quality of cooperation and continuing reforms in Armenia. In this connection S. Sargsyan again confirmed Armenia’s readiness to fulfill its obligations. President Hollande assured him that France – as Armenia’s friend, one of the leading member states of the EU and a big international player – will continue assisting with promotion of the European agenda of Armenia.

The Armenian president once again expressed his gratitude to France for recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
In conclusion, Serzh Sargsyan affirmed his invitation to the French president to pay a state visit to Armenia.