Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today hosted French Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Security and Defense Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, head of the delegation of the La Republique en Marche political party to the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau, as reported the government’s press service.

Pashinyan greeted Mrs. Loiseau, highly appreciated her pro-Armenian activities in the European Parliament and attached importance to the recent adoption of the resolution of the European Parliament, one of the co-authors of which is Loiseau and which particularly emphasized the issue of Armenian prisoners of war detained in Azerbaijan and stressed contributions to stability and peace in the region.

“I attach importance to the call made in the resolution to Turkey to acknowledge and recognize the Armenian Genocide. I would like to highlight the fact that this is not only a matter of confronting the historical truth, but also a very major component of the correct assessment and interpretation of the Armenian reality,” Pashinyan said.

The acting premier expressed satisfaction with the course of Armenia-European Union relations and added that they have become dynamic. Pashinyan went on to talk about the EUR 2,600,000,000 that the European Union has allocated to Armenia as assistance and the recent visit of President of the European Council Charles Michel to Armenia.

Pashinyan also particularly underscored the importance of Armenia’s relations with France. “Armenia takes pride in those relations and says that the French-Armenian relations are special. On June 1, I had a very important meeting with President of France Emmanuel Macron and, of course, we believe further development and deepening of our relations with France must be a priority on our agenda. I also highly appreciate the role and participation of the President of France in the constructive solutions to security issues in our region,” Pashinyan said.

Nathalie Loiseau expressed gratitude for the cordial reception and congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on Civil Contract Party’s victory in the elections. “I am here not only as the chair of the Security and Defense Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, but also as a French woman and a member of the government of Macron, who is obviously aware of my visit. I have fought hard to have the European Commission remind Turkey about the need for recognition of the Armenian Genocide because it will be impossible to build the future, if we don’t acknowledge the past. I will continue to be a friend of Armenia and the Armenians in the European Parliament, just like many other French parliamentarians,” she said.

Loiseau stated that she would like to know what more the European Union can do to stabilize and discharge the situation in the region. She attached importance to the preservation of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and the ensuring of an opportunity for free entry of international organizations for that purpose. Loiseau added that she is very glad that Armenia is in the European Union’s focus.

The interlocutors discussed Armenia-EU relations, the development of the Armenian-French cooperation, as well as the processes unfolding in the region. Pashinyan added that Mrs. Loiseau is considered a great friend of the Armenian people.