Monday, 22 September 2014
Hovik Abrahamyan Welcomes French Senate Delegation
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received a Philippe Kaltenbach-led French Senate delegation consisting of France-Armenia friendship group members.
Welcoming the guests, Hovik Abrahamyan stressed the need to further develop and deepen the Armenian-French relations in different fields of activity.
“We welcome your visit to Armenia, which will promote high-level cooperation in the political, economic and other fields. The ties of friendship between Armenia and France are of great significance,” the Prime Minister said.
The Head of Government thanked Philippe Kaltenbach for his pro-Armenian activities, in particular, for introducing the history of the Armenian Genocide to the international community. Hovik Abrahamyan highlighted the importance of the steps taken by the French authorities toward criminalizing the attempts of Genocide denial.
The Premier underscored the role played by the French co-chair in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group.
Pointing to the availability of strong relationship between the two countries, Philippe Kaltenbach noticed that reciprocated high-level visits may add momentum to bilateral cooperation in the economic, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres.
With reference to the Armenian Genocide 100th anniversary, Philippe Kaltenbach said the failure to condemn tragedies like that may lead to their recurrence. Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mr. Kaltenbach said France is ready to step up efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
The parties next took the opportunity to discuss issues related to Armenian-French economic relations and regional integration processes.
Talking about his government’s strategic priorities, Hovik Abrahamyan said favorable conditions are being created for foreign investors.
At the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister presented the guests with nominal watches.
