Nikol Pashinyan and Emmanuel Macron discussed issues of further  development of Armenian-French relations

ArmInfo.  Prime Minister of  Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is in Brussels, held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron the day before.

As the press service of the Armenian government reports, the Armenian  Prime Minister, first of all, congratulated Macron on the French  team's exit to the World Cup final, wishing the team success in the  decisive meeting. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that Armenia appreciates  the special relations with France, which are built on the basis of  good neighborly relations between the two peoples and mutual respect.  "We are honored to host the 17th international summit of the  countries of Francophonie, and we express our gratitude to France for  the assistance provided in the process of preparing for this event,"  the RA Prime Minister said, adding that within the framework of the  summit, much attention will be paid to the economic component, in  particular, it is planned to hold a business forum of entrepreneurs  of countries of Francophonie. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that all  conditions were created for entrepreneurship in Armenia. He expressed  his conviction that in the new conditions the Armenian-French  economic relations will receive a new impetus. The Prime Minister  believes that the upcoming state visit of Emmanuel Macron to Armenia  and his participation in such an important event as the summit of the  countries of Francophonie will become resonant both for Armenia and  for the entire French-speaking community.

Emmanuel Macron congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his election to the  post of prime minister, pointing out the importance of peaceful,  democratic resolution of the events taking place in Armenia. The  French President noted that his country is ready to expand  cooperation with friendly Armenia in various areas, including in the  trade and economic sphere. Emmanuel Macron expressed confidence that  the forum of Francophonie in Yerevan will be held at the highest  level, noting that during his visit to Armenia he hopes for a  substantive discussion on the further development of the  Armenian-French cooperation and the implementation of joint programs.

During the meeting, the interlocutors also discussed the process of  peaceful settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. They pointed  to the importance of its resolution in the format of the OSCE Minsk  Group. Nikol Pashinyan highly appreciated the efforts of the  mediators, including France, to peacefully settle the conflict and  ensure regional security. The Prime Minister stressed that Armenia  remains committed to the negotiation process with the mediation  efforts of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.  He added that any  attempt to resolve the conflict by force should be viewed as a  provocation directed against democracy and human rights.