Vahagn Khachaturyan receives outgoing French Ambassador to Armenia

President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies, who is completing his diplomatic mission in the country, the Information and Public Relations Department of the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The President thanked the Ambassador for his work during his tenure and for his efforts aimed at developing Armenian-French relations.

“Your personal contribution is present here, as is that of the Embassy, and, of course, most importantly, the close, warm and personal relations between the leaders of our two countries. We cannot forget this because, in fact, what happened in 2022, after Prague, and at the initiative and under the patronage of President Macron, that was the beginning of Armenia’s modern history. It was the final realisation that we must be sovereign, make independent decisions and be prepared for challenges, and France’s absolute support was also present in this,” the President said.

President Khachaturyan attached particular importance to the cooperation between Armenia and France in the fields of security and defence that began after 2022.

Ambassador Decottignies thanked the President for the reception and appreciation and conveyed the best wishes of French President Emmanuel Macron to President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan.

During the meeting, the sides discussed issues related to the further deepening and expansion of the multifaceted and dynamically developing cooperation established between Armenia and France.

The President highly appreciated France’s consistent support for Armenia and stressed that the bilateral relations agenda includes a number of important areas of mutual interest. In this context, particular importance was attached to advancing cooperation in the defence and economic sectors, as well as making more effective use of the existing opportunities.

Referring to the broad scope of Armenian-French cooperation, the effectiveness of decentralised cooperation was highlighted. It was noted that the ties established between communities and regions play an important role in deepening the partnership between the two countries, developing new initiatives and expanding the cooperation agenda.

The meeting also addressed prospects for the development of bilateral relations, the establishment of new areas of cooperation and opportunities for realising the existing potential.