Serzh Sargsyan met the chairmen of France-Armenia parliamentary and Senate friendship groups

ArmInfo. As part of his working visit to France, on January 23, President Serzh Sargsyan met with the Chairman of the France-Armenia Friendship Group of the National Assembly of France Jacques Marilossian, Chairman of the Senate-France-Armenia Friendship Group Gilbert-Luc Dvinazi, and members of these parliamentary groups. As the press service of the president reports, during the meeting, Sargsyan and the chairman of the France- Armenia friendship group Jacques Marilossian made a speech. The Armenian President noted that for him these meetings are meetings with real friends who had their contribution to the strengthening of the Armenian-French friendship. "We are grateful that, since we gained independence, you are always with us and support Armenia on important issues, including the promotion of democracy and reforms, in solving the Artsakh problem," Sargsyan said. The president said that the Armenian-French friendship groups cooperate in different structures, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, NATO and the OSCE. The head of the Armenian state also touched upon important events of the past year, noting in particular that in 2017 a new president was elected in France, and parliamentary elections took place in Armenia and the RA passes to a new form of government, as a result of which democracy will grow in the country. In addition, it was in 2017 that the Agreement on the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership between Armenia and the EU was signed. As for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as Serzh Sargsyan noted, Armenia sees the settlement of this issue exclusively in a peaceful manner, taking into account the right of the people of Artsakh to self- determination. "In this regard, we very much appreciate our reliable partner, France, as well as the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, aimed at a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and I attach great importance to the visits of the French parliamentarians in Artsakh, as they tell the French public about the state of affairs in the NKR "Following your example, many legislators already visit Nagorno-Karabakh, which, of course, gives positive results," the RA President stated. The president also said that in August 178, the 17th summit of francophone countries "Living Together" will be held in the Armenian capital. Sargsyan expressed hope that French colleagues will also visit this summit and will continue to visit Armenia and Artsakh to learn about the experience of these two countries and disseminate objective information. "I hope that you will continue to deepen effective cooperation with your Armenian counterparts," the head of the Armenian state concluded. In his turn, the chairman of the France-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Jacques Marilosian stated that the RA and France are linked by the centuries-old friendship. During the Armenian Genocide, France became the second home for many refugees. Jacques Marilossian noted that the economic component is very important in the friendly relations between the two countries. "We are going to organize a visit of the delegation of French MPs to Armenia in June, but the program of our visit is still under development, but we intend to include also those responsible for higher education in the delegation." We would also like to share our experience with Armenian parliamentarians.