Interview of French ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacote to Armenian News - NEWS.am.
An issue that has been on everyone's mind recently: the pandemic of the new coronavirus and its consequences. Among other countries, France has helped Armenia. Please tell us about these missions of French doctors in Armenia and France's experience in the fight against infection.
Indeed, two missions of French medical personnel came to Armenia at the invitation of the Armenian authorities, who were in charge of setting up and organizing these missions.
We have been in contact with the Ministry of Health and the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, and in response to a request from the Armenian Government, France has ensured the payment of transportation and accommodation for the second delegation.
As the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, said in his letter to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the pandemic must constitute a unique opportunity to work together to fight the virus and its consequences. The President of the Republic thus assured of France's solidarity and willingness to provide concrete assistance to Armenia.
In particular, France offers to provide public policy loans to build Armenia's resilience and help it reform its health and social protection system and combat the impacts of climate change.
To what extent has economic cooperation between the two countries been affected by the pandemic? Will this affect the volume of business [between France and Armenia], and how has it been in recent years? Are there any estimates on how long it will take to recover? Have the export volumes of Armenian products to France decreased and vice versa? And what is the structure of imports and exports [between the two countries]?
Our economic relationship is based on a regular and constantly increasing flow of trade. In 2018, France exported to Armenia 68 M EUR (an increase of 24 M EUR) and Armenia exported to France 12 M EUR, i.e. a total of 80 M EUR of trade (+67.2%).
The French presence is very diversified (hotels, supermarkets, insurance, spirits, electrical equipment) and French companies are more and more interested in Armenia.
Armenia's insertion into international trade is likely to progress in the coming years: Armenia enjoys tariff advantages vis-à-vis the EU and has concluded a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the EU.
It is still too early to have an accurate estimate of the impact that this crisis will have on our trade. The fact is that it is taking place in an initially favourable context for our trade, with an increase of 67% in 2018, and that it affects all of Armenia's trading partners equally.
The coronavirus crisis will have a lasting impact on both our countries, particularly in terms of tourism. France and Armenia are indeed two important tourist destinations and many joint projects are to be developed, in particular around the Franco-Armenian vocational training center (CEPFA).
French companies established in Armenia have shown unprecedented resilience in their respective fields of activity. I am referring in particular to mass distribution, insurance and water distribution, areas in which they have been able to adapt to the emergency measures that were needed while setting the best example in terms of applying international standards. The observed increase in health and safety conditions for workers and the solidarity expressed towards the medical sector will benefit the whole country.
To our knowledge, the French embassy has begun to issue visas for long stays. Are there already applicants? Do we know when the embassy will start issuing Schengen visas? Probably, it would depend on the opening of the borders and the re-establishment of air traffic?
Indeed, the visa service of the Embassy has been gradually resuming its activities since 30 June. For the moment, only applications for long-stay visas for study, family or professional reasons are accepted, as well as visas to return to France. The issuing of Schengen short-stay visas is still suspended in view of the fact that Armenia is not on the list of countries whose nationals are authorised to enter the territory of the European Union. The resumption of all visa service activities will be announced on our website and via our social networks.
We hope that the situation will rapidly improve and we all await, both in France and in Armenia, the resumption of travel between our two countries.
Has the situation affected the implementation of humanitarian, cultural and educational programmes? How took place the entrance and end-of-year exams at the French University of Armenia, have they been changed this year? Armenia is a member of the OIF. In your opinion, what is the situation in Armenia with regard to the level of French language learning?
The crisis in Armenia occurred at the very beginning of the Season of La Francophonie, a season for which the public is always in attendance and for which we had planned, this year, the 4th Francophone Film Festival, a French language competition, a Francophone School Theatre Festival and a theatre tour in Armenia. The concert conducted on March 13, 2020 at the Yerevan Philharmonic by Bruno Mantovani, conductor and former director of the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris, was supposed to open this season. It was actually our last public art event in Armenia.
In this context, our Embassy has mobilized to offer the Armenian public access to French culture at home. From April 20 to July 14, we’ve organized a cultural season entirely online called #BarevlaFrance, on our Facebook page « La culture française en Arménie » (www.facebook.com/culturefrance.am).
Each week, we have offered a selection of cultural resources that are freely accessible online: film festivals, theatre performances, historical resources, as well as content produced especially for this season like our chef's recipes, two plays with Armenian subtitles, concerts for the Fête de la Musique and for July 14th, exclusive interviews with personalities of the French-Armenian cultural world.
A total of 60 publications in both languages were viewed by 178,000 people during this season. The Facebook page saw a 25% increase in the number of subscribers.
In addition, in partnership with the French Embassy in Tbilisi, we organized an online student fair on May 13 to introduce Armenian and Georgian students to French educational opportunities in France, Armenia and Georgia.
Although this period did not allow us to organize public cultural events in person, I nevertheless wished to award, during ceremonies in a small circle, the Palmes académiques to two personalities from the world of education: Mr. Martin Pashayan, former director of the "French School" No. 10 in Gyumri, and Mrs. Gohar Grigoryan, director of the French-Armenian Vocational Education Center in Yerevan.
Regarding educational programs, the French University in Armenia and the French School Anatole France have ensured online the continuity of their courses. The students of the Alliance française d'Arménie have also continued their courses online. I would like to praise the work of all the teachers in schools, universities and associations in Armenia where French is taught for their commitment during this period.
I note with satisfaction that this year the French university, UFAR, has had this year an exceptional number of registrations for the entrance exam which confirms the attractiveness of our education system, which we have also observed in the increase in the number of students at the Anatole France school over the past several years. This year UFAR has also registered an extremely large number of candidates for admission to the Bachelor's degree; a record number for the last 20 years. In total, 672 young people applied for the 5 UFAR faculties: Law, Management, Marketing, Finance and Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. The exams were organized in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and in strict compliance with health precautions. A single, multidisciplinary exam has been set up for each faculty, thus minimizing the gathering of candidates. Following the exams, 638 candidates were admitted to UFAR.
Armenia has been a full member of the OIF since 2012, and we fondly remember the great Summit of 2018. The Linguistic Pact that the country signed with the OIF includes commitments to the development of the role of French language in the country. A very fine illustration of Armenia's commitment to the Francophonie is the signing, on 2 July, of a decree by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan deciding to make the building of the former school No. 16 available to accommodate, as of next year, the students of the Lycée Français Anatole France.
The Embassy of France also supports the teaching of French in Armenia through two programs: the bilingual education section of the High School No. 119 Benjamin Jamkotchian of Yerevan (since 2013); the reinforced French curriculum in eleven schools of Armenia (since 2012), a network that is set to expand further in 2020 and 2021, thanks to the support of the Ile-de-France region.
The holding of an annual congress of French teachers and the granting of scholarships for internships in France are also part of the Embassy's actions in this field. Finally, we encourage collaboration with the French local authorities which are at the origin of the dozen or so associative centers in Armenia offering free French language courses.
It is no secret that Armenians have special feelings for France. And how attractive is Armenia to the French?
Indeed, relations between our two countries and our peoples have a strong sentimental dimension.
Armenia is of course attractive to the French both in terms of tourism, as it offers a variety of landscapes, cultural heritage, as well as culinary delights, but also in terms of business, as Armenia can be a gateway to the Eurasian market.
Together with its colleagues of the Minsk Group, France is the mediator of the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Given France's experience: its participation in two world wars, and today a high degree of cooperation with former adversaries, what can be advised from this experience?
What is currently happening on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan gives cause for concern and, more than ever, it must be reiterated that no solution can be found by military means. France and Germany have hated and fought each other for more than a century and today our countries are the driving forces behind the construction of Europe. We can testify to how far we've come. I have in my office in Yerevan a photo of General de Gaulle and Chancellor Adenauer. Of course it takes two to make peace and it is a path that requires courage and involves the whole society.
A personal question: You are one of the most communicative diplomats, active on social media. How often do strangers write to you and what subjects do they write about? What is your progress in learning Armenian?
People write to me every day, mostly on consular matters. So I refer them to the consulate, which has its own address and gives precise answers within 24 hours.
In general, the tone of the messages is very positive, especially since my tolerance for hostile messages is very limited!
My learning of Armenian is ... progressive, but one of the consequences of confinement has been to give me more time to progress. I would not claim to speak Armenian, but I am interested in the structure of the language, which is not comparable to any other.
I also read a lot of Armenian literature (translated) and travelled around the country, often off the beaten track. When one is interested in Armenia, one has to be modest because one is touching an ancient and complex civilization, but any effort is rewarded!
