Armenian FM visits Notre Dame in Paris, offers solidarity with France
On a working visit to France, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan visited Notre Dame cathedral ravaged by a massive fire on Monday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mnatsakanyan met French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Foreign Ministry told Panorama.am.
Thankful for the reception, the Armenian foreign policy chief said it is very emotional to be in Paris in these days, expressing Armenia’s solidarity with France and the French people after the catastrophic fire at the cathedral.
Mnatsakanyan also handed to his French counterpart the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he expressed the hope that necessary steps will be taken by joint efforts to restore Notre Dame.
The officials expressed satisfaction with strong Armenian-French multifaceted cooperation, reaffirming the readiness of both countries to ensure the continuity of bilateral relations.
The Armenian community in France and its bridging role in further strengthening relations between the two countries and enriching the bilateral agenda were particularly highlighted at the meeting.
Mnatsakanyan stressed Armenia highly values the recent move of the French president to declare April 24 as a national day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, which is yet another manifestation of France’s efforts towards restoring the denied justice.
Reflecting on the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership (CEPA), Mnatsakanyan reaffirmed the Armenian government’s commitment and political will to ensure the effective implementation of the document. He also highlighted the issue of launching the visa liberalization dialogue with the EU.
Touching upon the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict, the Armenian FM presented to his French counterpart the details of the recent talks with the Azerbaijani FM in Moscow, reaffirming Armenia’s principled stance and approaches towards finding an exclusively peaceful settlement to the conflict.
The two attached importance to the creation of a favorable atmosphere to push forward the peace process.