France will soon open a consular office in Armenia’s southern province of Syunik, near the border, and allocate additional 7 million euros in aid to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said during a question-and-answer session in the parliament.

“No country, not one, is next to Armenia as much as our country and you know it very well,” she said, adding that all meetings of the UN Security Council at the diplomatic level, without exception, took place at the initiative of France.

"Also, as I said, an observation mission was deployed in Armenia at the initiative of France. All this is true on a humanitarian level as well. Since the beginning of the year, our ministry has allocated more than 5 million euros to the Armenian population of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. I have decided, taking into account the events of the last days, to increase this aid much more, by an additional 7 million euros,” she said.

The French Foreign Minister also noted that France has also strengthened defense relations with Armenia.

"The defense attaché will be present at the French Embassy in Yerevan. Then, we will soon open a consular office in Syunik province, near the border. So, I think, these are tangible proofs that France firmly stands by Armenia,” she said.

“The fact that Russia has abandoned Armenia and is complicit in Azerbaijan's military operations makes international diplomatic actions even more necessary. Next to France, I hope we will see Europe, it should take note of this reality, work with us to respect the territorial integrity of Armenia and preserve the right to live of Karabakh Armenians. This is what we do," she added.