During the press conference held at the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense, Armenia’s Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan thanked French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, who arrived on an official visit to the Republic of Armenia, for accepting his invitation and visiting Armenia. Papikyan emphasized that it is a great honor to host a friendly French Minister of Armed Forces for the first time in history.
“The visit of the Minister of the French Armed Forces is a clear evidence that although the practical stage of military cooperation between Armenia and France has not completed two years, thanks to our joint efforts it is already systemic and far-reaching," said Papikyan. He thanked the French partners and Sébastien Lecornu for his willingness and personal contribution to the development of the partnership.
The Defense Minister informed that the discussions, which ended a few minutes ago, took place in a meaningful and practical atmosphere.
“Our cooperation agenda covers almost all spheres of life activity of the Armed Forces. I should especially emphasize the comprehensive advisory support in the direction of defense reforms, the field of military education, the direction of rapidly developing exercises and, of course, the process of modernization of the armed forces and defense means and the development of military-technical cooperation,” said Armenia’s Defense Minister.
Papikyan noted with satisfaction that bilateral cooperation has been based on clear planning since this year and is developing in more than a dozen directions. He informed that during the discussions he also presented the course of Armenia’s Armed Forces reforms to his French partner, referred to regional and security issues, emphasized the establishment of long-term peace in the region and highlighted Armenia's sustainable development as a free, sovereign and democratic country.
“In general, during the discussions, we fixed with satisfaction the process of implementation of previous agreements and plans, formed a rich agenda for future activities.
I would also like to inform you that the documents signed a while ago will lay a new foundation for the development of this agenda,” said Suren Papikyan.
