French defense minister travels to Armenia
French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu was to travel to Armenia on Thursday for a two-day visit, AFP reported.
Lecornu's trip, the first by a French defence minister to the small South Caucasus nation, comes after French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about a "risk of escalation" between Armenia and Azerbaijan as he received Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday.
Pashinyan has warned that Azerbaijan is preparing for a "full-scale war" with Armenia.
"France and Armenia have a historic relationship of friendship, but the defence relationship has not been at the level of the intensity of the bilateral relationship," Lecornu's office said.
In October 2023, France announced the sale of defensive equipment to Armenia weeks after Baku seized Nagorno-Karabakh, drawing anger from Azerbaijan.
Lecornu at the time said Armenia would buy three Ground Master 200 (GM200) radar systems from French defence group Thales.