YEREVAN. – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan thanked French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his contribution to developing Armenian-French relations.

During his joint press conference with Sarkozy in capital Yerevan on Friday, Sargsyan also stressed the importance of French President’s 2-day state level visit to Armenia, pointed to the high level and historical role of relations between both counties, France’s role in OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), the 500 million Armenians living in France, French investments to Armenia’s economy, and development of relations between self-government bodies of the two countries.         

Armenian President also underscored French participation in the energy sector and infrastructure development. “Armenia highly assesses France’s role in deepening Armenia’s relations with EU,” he stated.

Reflecting on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Serzh Sargsyan appreciated OSCE Minsk Group’s role in resolution of this matter. In this context, Sargsyan specifically noted France’s and its leader’s contribution to L'Aquila, Muskoka, Deauville, and G8 declarations, and stressed France’s balanced position, which is an important factor for stability.     

President Serzh Sargsyan also thanked France for its recognition of the Armenian Genocide and its position with respect to Turkey’s EU membership issue.