Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Tigran Avinyan receives French Ambassador to Armenia
On December 9, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan received French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte.
A number of issues related to Artsakh were discussed in detail during the meeting. The parties agreed that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only format for mediating a comprehensive settlement of the issue. Tigran Avinyan hailed the adoption by the French Senate and National Assembly of resolutions on the need to recognize the Artsakh Republic.
Reference was made to the humanitarian situation and to the preservation of the Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh. In this context, Tigran Avinyan appreciated the contribution made by the friendly people of France and personally by President Emmanuel Macron in providing humanitarian assistance to displaced persons. UNESCO’s role in ensuring the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage was emphasized on both sides.
Coming to the swap of war prisoners, Tigran Avinyan advised that the Armenian side had suggested applying the principle of “all for all,” as well as developing a mechanism that should bind each side to repatriate any newly identified POW without preconditions. The Deputy Premier noted that the Armenian government was working on an anti-crisis economic program in an effort to promote economic activity in the country.
In turn, Ambassador Lacôte said Armenia and France boast a hectic bilateral economic agenda. He noted that the two countries should work actively to develop and implement new projects. In this context, possibilities for deepening interaction in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, power engineering, water management, infrastructure and mutual investments were discussed during the meeting.
