Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian today had a meeting with the delegation led by French Secretary of State for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, as reported on the official website of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Armenian foreign minister and the French Secretary of State thoroughly discussed the Armenian-French agenda, reaffirmed their reciprocal willingness to take active steps to strengthen and expand the multi-sector partnership and underscored effective use of the potential for trade and economic cooperation as a priority.

Aivazian and Lemoyne also touched upon regional security and stability. Minister Aivazian expressed his gratitude to France for its unbiased position on the large-scale aggression that Azerbaijan launched against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the Armenian people and for giving an evaluation of the aggression.

Both parties underscored the imperative of a political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the scope of the peace process under the auspices of the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group. Minister Aivazian stated that the axis of establishment of durable peace, security and stability in the region is the determination of the legal status of Artsakh, hinged on the right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination.

The Armenian foreign minister called Secretary of State Lemoyne’s attention to the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians being kept in Azerbaijan and the phony obstacles that Azerbaijan is creating for this.

The preservation of Armenian historical and cultural monuments was also in focus. In this context, the interlocutors attached importance to the unimpeded involvement of international specialized organizations, especially the UNESCO and the use of the potential for bilateral cooperation.