“We are strengthening Armenia’s defence capabilities”: French foreign minister visits Yerevan
French foreign minister’s visit to Yerevan
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has arrived in Armenia on an official visit. He took part in the international conference “Yerevan Dialogue” and met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. During a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart, the French minister addressed the issue of ongoing defence cooperation — a matter of particular public interest in Armenia.
“We must emphasise our countries’ cooperation in the field of defence — whether it’s the retraining of personnel or arms supplies. The aim of all this is to enable Armenia to ensure its own defence capability and protect its sovereignty,” said Jean-Noël Barrot.
The ministers signed a declaration providing for annual political consultations, cooperation in combating disinformation, and retraining of diplomats.
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Barrot assures Pashinyan that France is ready to deepen ties with Armenia
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Nikol Pashinyan discussed with the French Foreign Minister:
- the implementation of new joint infrastructure development projects and the attraction of investments,
- regional processes, including the latest developments around the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Armenian Prime Minister emphasised how important deepening cooperation with France is for Armenia. Barrot, in turn, reaffirmed his country’s consistent support for strengthening Armenia’s capacities and development.
“The French Foreign Minister noted that his country is ready to continue deepening and expanding relations with Armenia in both political and economic spheres,” the official statement reads.
Paris backs normalisation of ties with Azerbaijan
Barrot stated that France supports the complex negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have already produced a draft peace agreement:
“I want to highlight Prime Minister Pashinyan’s courage. The time has come to sign and ratify the agreement. France, the United States, and the whole of Europe are saying this — in support of Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The French minister stressed that the South Caucasus is viewed as a key region linking the European Union with the East. He added that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan would also benefit the EU:
“This is why we supported the Armenian authorities’ efforts to develop a peace plan. This is why we backed the political consensus around it. And this is why we now call on both sides to sign and ratify the treaty. On the basis of peace, we can build a dignified future and regional integration.”
“There is reason to consider relations with France strategic”
“At the forefront of our discussions was the dynamic Armenia–France bilateral agenda and the jointly developed roadmap for our relations, which gives us grounds to consider them strategic,” said Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during a joint press conference with his French counterpart.
Among the projects already implemented, Mirzoyan highlighted the importance of the newly built reservoir in Vedi. He noted that France contributes to Armenia’s economic development in many areas.
He emphasised that Armenia and France are now cooperating in fields that just a few years ago would not even have been up for discussion.
Mirzoyan did not specify which areas he was referring to, but it is widely understood that he meant defence cooperation. In recent years, Paris has become one of Armenia’s main arms suppliers.
France to open consulate in Syunik
During the press conference, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced plans to open a consulate on Armenia’s southern border:
“An Armenian-French conference on decentralised cooperation will soon take place in the town of Goris, in Syunik Province. This marks an important stage in the collaboration between our two countries. It is also a political symbol — as the event will be held in Goris, where France will open a consulate.”
The development of decentralised cooperation was also praised by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who said it would contribute to the growth of regions that hold strategic importance for Armenia.
Armenia is not alone”
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke about the importance of cooperation with France in deepening Armenia’s partnership with the European Union:
“Our dialogue with the EU is proceeding with very active support from our French partners.”
Armenia’s parliament has already approved a draft law to begin the process of EU accession. Mirzoyan said that Armenian society holds high expectations for this process:
“We may have expectations, but perhaps the EU is not fully ready for them. So it is important to understand where our visions align. And if they do align, how we should act and how we should plan our joint future.”
He warned that if the Armenian government or the EU fail to meet those expectations, it could lead to deep public disillusionment:
“If the moment is missed, I can hardly imagine when we will be able to resume the process.”
The French foreign minister assured that Armenia is not alone in its aspiration to join the EU, but noted that the path is a difficult one:
“The most difficult part is meeting EU standards in terms of the rule of law, democracy, freedom, press freedom, and an independent judiciary.”
According to Jean-Noël Barrot, the EU works with candidate countries to explain to their societies the kind of effort that membership requires — while also supporting those efforts. He said it is within this logic that the EU has backed Armenia, including through assistance from the European Peace Facility and the launch of talks on visa liberalisation.
