Friday, 5 September 2014
PM Receives Delegation Led by French National Assembly Socialist Party Faction Leader
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received a delegation led by French National Assembly socialist faction leader Bruno Le Roux.
Welcoming the guests to the Office of Government, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the French parliamentarians’ visit might promote expansion and strengthening of Armenian-French relationship: “We are eager to develop cooperation with France in the political, economic and other spheres. Everything will be done to deepen bilateral relations, for which there is great potential,” the Premier said.
Stressing that 180 French companies are currently operating in Armenia, Hovik Abrahamyan expressed the hope that they would increase in number in the near future.
Hovik Abrahamyan and Bruno Le Roux concurred in that Armenia may become a platform for French companies to enter the Eurasian market. Mr. Le Roux said his country is interested in Armenia’s development and stands ready to continue providing comprehensive support to this end.
Referring to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Bruno Le Roux noted, “As President François Hollande noted, we have the political will to complete the legislation recognizing the Armenian genocide, which envisages criminal prosecution for all those denying the Armenian Genocide. We believe that the recognition is of preventive importance, while the prosecution of denial may play a peace-building role". Ahead of the Genocide 100th anniversary commemorations, Bruno Le Roux highlighted the need for building closer inter-parliamentary ties in order to raise the awareness of the international community.
Thanking the French parliamentarians for their stance, the head of the Armenian government said that genocides, like the Armenian Genocide, may recur, if not condemned in time.
Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, the interlocutors stressed the need for keeping to peaceful talks in the OSCE Minsk Group format.
A number of other issues high on the Armenian-French political agenda have been discussed during the meeting.
