Saturday, 4 July 2015
PM Hovik Abrahamyan Meets with French National Assembly Speaker Claude Bartolone
On July 3, in the framework of his working visit to France, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan met with French National Assembly Speaker Claude Bartolone.
The Armenian side was represented by Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan, Minister of Agriculture Sergo Karapetyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan, while the French side was represented by France-Armenia friendship group Chairman René Rouquet. In attendance were the ambassadors of the two countries.
Thankful for a warm reception, Hovik Abrahamyan stressed that France has a special place on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda. The centuries-old historical and cultural ties between the two countries and the Armenian community in France are key factors for building stronger interstate relations with France. As the Prime Minister said, the Armenian community has always enjoyed a warm treatment on the part of both the people and the leadership of France.
Hovik Abrahamyan pointed out with satisfaction that close inter-parliamentary ties have been established between the two countries, which play an important role in the development of interstate relations. According to him, great is the contribution of the respectively parliamentary friendship groups in this regard. The Premier highlighted the fact that Armenia-bound parliamentary delegations of France often pay visits to Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The frequent visits to Artsakh by French legislators go a long way toward promoting a comprehensive idea of the NKR worldwide,” Hovik Abrahamyan noted.
He expressed satisfaction with the establishment of the “Circle of friendship with Artsakh” in 2013 by a group of National Assembly and Senate members, ex-MPs and a number of community leaders.
“Now, as I am in the French National Assembly headquarters, I cannot help conveying my deep gratitude for the high humanistic mission of France, namely the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by law in 2001. France was the first country to recognize the Genocide by force of law,” Hovik Abrahamyan said expressing the hope that the French Parliament will be consistent in considering the new bill, which criminalizes the denial of the Armenian Genocide.
Welcoming the Armenian delegation, National Assembly Chairman Claude Bartolone said to be highly honored to host the Prime Minister of Armenia in the wake of the Armenian Genocide Centenary commemorations.
Pleased with the high status of Armenian-French interstate relations, the Speaker of the National Assembly of France believed it important to strengthen inter-parliamentary relations and deepen cooperation in various fields. He appreciated the cooperation underway in a variety of formats in the framework of the international organization of Francophonie. “Armenia is a friend of France. We are prepared to deepen and expand our friendship and cooperation,” Claude Bartolone stated.
The parties next referred to EU-Armenia cooperation. In this context, the Prime Minister of Armenia praised the support provided by the French authorities in the development of EU-Armenia ties. According to him, Armenian President’s participation in the Riga Summit of the Eastern Partnership confirmed Armenia’s willingness to expand cooperation with the EU in different areas.
The interlocutors stressed the need for closer cooperation and mutual support in international organizations. Coming to regional problems, both sides noted the importance of achieving a peaceful settlement in the NKR issue.
