Prime Minister Nikpl Pashinyan meets with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Nov. 9 in Paris
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday met with President Emmanuel Macron of France in Paris.
The talks, which Pashinyan later called “excellent,” centered around issues related to normalization of Armenia and Azerbaijan relations.
Reference was made to the humanitarian issues arising from the more than 100,000 forcibly displaced Artsakh residents who fled to Armenia after Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack in September as part of its ethnic cleansing campaign. The need for the international community to assist in resolving existing challenges was highlighted.
Macron and Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the principles declared during a meeting in Granada, Spain last month, which include European leaders’ “unwavering support” for Armenia’s territorial integrity and called for “regional connectivity links based on full respect of countries’ sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as on the principles of equality and reciprocity.”
Last month, Pashinyan with Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Sholz and the European Council President Charles Michel in Granada, where they issued a joint declaration after President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan declined to participate in what were billed as peace negotiations between Yerevan and Baku.
“Excellent talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. We discussed issues related to the strengthening of the Armenia-France exceptional, friendly relations and bilateral agenda, cooperation with the EU, as well as the situation in the South Caucasus,” Pashinyan said in a post on X.
Macron and Pashinyan also discussed strengthening relation between their countries.
Last week, France and Armenia signed a military cooperation agreement, the first such accord with a Western nation, that envision delivery of French defensive weapons to Armenia.
Pashinyan is in France to attend the annual Paris Peace Forum. He and his wife, Anna Hakopyan, attended an opening reception at the Elysee Palace hosted by Macron.