Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Catherine Colonna, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of France.
Welcoming the visit of the delegation led by the minister to Armenia, the Prime Minister noted. “First of all, I want to thank you personally, France and President Macron, for standing by Armenia in these difficult times and expressing a clear position regarding ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh became a victim of ethnic cleansing, and unfortunately, international mechanisms could not be activated. We are dealing with the implementation of pre-announced ethnic cleansing. In this sense, of course, our humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has been transferred to the Republic of Armenia.
On the other hand, I must emphasize that the authorities of Azerbaijan are carrying out illegal arrests in Nagorno-Karabakh, which I also think should be at the center of international attention.” Nikol Pashinyan added that at the moment, the RA government can keep the flow of our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh under specific control; the most vital needs of the people are met with the support of the state and several international partners.
“But, of course, the Armenian government needs direct financial support from international partners so that we can also solve medium-term and long-term humanitarian problems. In our environment, I consider it very important to address issues of the bilateral agenda between our countries. Of course, these are issues of political dialogue, cooperation on international platforms, and economic cooperation,” said the Prime Minister.
French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna thanked for the warm welcome and conveyed the greetings of President Emmanuel Macron to the Prime Minister. “I am happy that I am returning to Yerevan again after a few months from my previous visit, although I would very much like my visit to take place under less tragic circumstances, tragic for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. And just like in April, I see familiar and friendly faces at the table, which is certainly very pleasant in this complicated world that we live in now.
My visit is just another manifestation of France’s friendship towards Armenia, and, beyond friendship, it is also a manifestation of solidarity. Our solidarity has been shown throughout the year. The aid volumes have increased along with the deterioration of the humanitarian crisis and the humanitarian situation in general. I am proud to say that France is always where it should be,” Catherine Colonna emphasized.
The French Foreign Minister also added that France has planned a humanitarian aid of 12.5 million euros for Armenia. Katrin Colonna assured that this help will continue if needed.
At the meeting, the interlocutors touched on issues related to Armenian-French cooperation processes in the region and exchanged ideas on other topics of mutual interest.
