16:33,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan had a meeting with his French counterpart Richard Ferrand in Paris.
Simonyan and Ferrand discussed the latest deadly Azerbaijani attack on Armenia, the Armenian parliament’s press service said in a press release.
Simonyan told Ferrand that the latest attack is the continuation of Azerbaijan’s consistent policy of capturing and occupying territories of the Republic of Armenia, which began on May 12 of this year when the Azerbaijani military invaded into the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik.
Simonyan emphasized that this was also an attack on democracy.
The discussion also focused on the events which took place after the 2020 war in Artsakh and the challenges facing the security and stability of Armenia and the region. Simonyan thanked France for the great attention in the issues of repatriating the Armenian prisoners of war and civilians who are held in Azerbaijan as hostages, the rights of refugees of Artsakh and the protection of the historical-cultural heritage under Azeri control. He highlighted the 2020 December 3 passage of the Resolution on Protection of Christian Communities of Europe and the East and Armenian People in the French parliament. The Armenian Speaker of Parliament said that the resolutions passed by the French Senate and National Assembly are an important milestone for a fair resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and strengthening of France’s active role in this process.
The President of the National Assembly of France Richard Ferrand reaffirmed that France was and remains a friend to Armenia regardless of the geographical distance.
Simonyan and Ferrand were pleased to note the strong inter-parliamentary cooperation, pointing out the role of the parliamentary friendship groups of the two countries in continuously developing the ties.
At the end of the meeting the sides underscored the importance of joint efforts for the continuity and enhancement of cooperation between Armenia and France in various sectors.
Speaker Simonyan is in France at the invitation of the President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher. During the two-day visit, Simonyan and his delegation will participate in the Armenia One Year Later conference, hosted by Larcher.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan