Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on a working visit to Paris, met with Foreign Minister of France Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday.

As stated in the press release of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministers Mirzoyan and Le Drian discussed issues related to further deepening of the special relations between Armenia and France and reaffirmed their interest in further development of the mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as highlighted the importance of expansion of the economic ties between the two countries.

The Armenian and French foreign ministers discussed several issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Mirzoyan stressed that only through peaceful negotiations under the mandate of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group will it be possible to achieve a comprehensive and lasting resolution of the conflict.

The parties also touched upon the humanitarian issues that emerged after the 44-day war. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the unconditional and speedy repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and other persons held, as well as the importance of preservation of the Armenian historical, cultural and religious heritage in the territories of Artsakh that are under Azerbaijani control.

The Armenian foreign minister stated that Armenia and Armenians highly appreciate the stance that the French government and parliament expressed and the actions that they took during and after the aggression that Azerbaijani unleashed against Artsakh.

During the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan also expressed gratitude to France for the assistance in the fight against the coronavirus.