After the signing of the documents, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron made statements.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan - Dear Mr. President, distinguished guests, I think the ceremony that took place demonstrates the full scope of the agenda of the state visit of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron. And the exchanges of signed documents that took place a little while ago need to be valued.

I would especially like to emphasize the agreement and consent we have reached on the construction of the Bargushat tunnel of North-South highway. This is a new stage not only for the construction of the North-South highway, but also for setting a new quality standard in the field of road construction in Armenia. When we first discussed this topic with President Macron, I also spoke with President Macron about our motivation. You see, we constantly talk about the need to adopt European standards in various fields. De jure, of course, there is no great difficulty in adopting these standards with documents, but we also need companies with the necessary capabilities, skills, and knowledge to implement these standards. And in this case, the involvement of French construction companies in the North-South highway, which, we are sure, will in turn involve local contractors, will create a serious opportunity not only to adopt the new standards, but also to expand and disseminate them in the economic life of Armenia.

And this is an example that shows the personal contribution of French President Emmanuel Macron to the development of Armenia-France relations. I want to present this example because the first step that took place on the way to signing this document was my request to President Macron that we have such a project and such a problem, and with the support of President Macron, all this has become a reality. And in general, it is very interesting to see and recall the way through which the ideas put forward are transformed into a concrete result. This is one of the super projects being implemented in our country - the construction of the North-South highway. By signing the document, we are talking about one of the most complex sections - the North-South highway, the implementation of which requires special skills, special abilities. And as in many such cases, France and President Macron stood by Armenia, and today we can say that this huge North-South project, the super project, is already getting “flesh and blood”. And we are already imagining the steps we will take to fully put that road into operation.

And I want, Mr. President, to thank you for that among many other reasons, because there are many specifics that I could list for quite a long time. But I don’t want to list for a long time and I just want to mention the directions: economy, security, defense, diplomacy, Armenia-European Union relations, cultural relations, relations in the field of education. In all these directions, we have constantly felt and feel your support, the support of the French Republic, the support of our French partners, and the role of that support in the path we are on today is difficult to overestimate.

One of the most key news that is happening and has happened in Armenia is the establishment of peace in our region. I want to emphasize once again that with this document, which already has a legally binding force, the Alma-Ata Declaration is accepted as the most important principle of demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And this principle is also recorded in the initialed peace agreement. And, in fact, the architecture of peace is based on the Alma-Ata Declaration - the recognition of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. And I want to say that in this architecture, the role of French President Emmanuel Macron is key, without any exaggeration, key. And this took place in our presence, where President Macron, thanks to his consistency, flexibility and special diplomatic skills, was able to record this agreement between us and Azerbaijan.

And as the logical culmination of what I have mentioned: we have just signed the agreement on establishing a strategic partnership between the Republic of Armenia and the French Republic in front of all of you. Let me note the following: if we have done so much without having an agreement and a document on establishing a strategic partnership, without a strategic partnership, I can only imagine what successes and achievements await us after establishing a strategic partnership, for which, Mr. President, I would like to express my gratitude once again to you, your government, the French Republic and all our partners, thank you.

President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron - Prime Minister, dear Nikol, ladies and gentlemen ministers, ladies and gentlemen ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, dear Armenian friends,

Thank you, dear Nikol, for the warm welcome that you have shown to me and my delegation within the framework of this state visit. As you know, the friendship between France and Armenia was formed on the basis of a common history and unshakable brotherhood. And these relations are now taking a new turn within the framework of this state visit.

Since my last visit to Yerevan in 2018, Armenia has passed a long way: Armenia went through war, then established peace, then prosperity. I reminded you of this, the average annual growth of Armenia’s GDP has been almost 6% in recent years. And we see how much there is to be expected. Armenia has resolutely chosen the path of peace and the path of prosperity and has strengthened its democracy despite the trials. Armenia is resolutely moving towards Europe. And Armenia has always been a full member of the European family, but this progress in the field of European politics, one might say, has been obvious to me in these last two days. All this was unimaginable 8 years ago. That is, organizing a meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, organizing a summit of the European Union and Armenia in Yerevan was unimaginable.

Today, the basis of relations between our two countries, between Armenia and the European Union, is the development of potential. Today, we have prepared a new stage to go further, to promote more investments through various programs, to further increase the partnership in the defense sector, and also to liberalize visas with the European Union. These are programs that can strengthen the rule of law and bring our countries closer together. These are important stages on this path, and in recent days we have further strengthened them. Over the past 8 years, relations of the country have also made significant progress, and the agreements that we signed today prove their diversity. This solidarity has also become more tangible over the years. Do you remember this solidarity during the 1988 earthquake, as well as in 2020 in supporting the displaced population, in particular through humanitarian aid of 32 million euros? I would like to thank civil society, which united around the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Our relations are also expanding in the economic area. You mentioned the agreements within the framework of connectivity, the agreement with VINCI Construction Grands Projects and Razel-Beck Sas, which will launch the Bargushat tunnel construction project. It was highly anticipated in terms of this connectivity. We are very proud that we can also participate in the water sector, which is a very important sector for Armenia, with the participation of Veolia, the organization of reservoirs, the construction of the Vedi reservoir, which is the largest reservoir built in Armenia since independence, the restoration and modernization of irrigation systems. France is present in Armenia with these programs, with the support of the French Development Agency, which is also an important partner in the field of inclusive and sustainable development, and we are glad that it has been able to further strengthen its role in various sectors.

In recent years, we also entered a new phase. We have also established a partnership in the defense sector. The strategic partnership that we signed today further strengthens this cooperation. In recent years, we have wanted to further modernize the Armenian armed forces, strengthen sovereignty, and we can say that this is an important pillar of our bilateral relations. The Ministry of High-Tech Industry has also just signed an agreement with the Defense Innovation Agency, which will allow us to open new directions in this area.

Our partnership is also based on the diverse ties formed in the fields of education, science, culture, heritage, and youth. In particular, in the field of cultural heritage, I am pleased to note the two agreements signed today, which connect the National Library of France with the Yerevan Museum of Art and Literature, as well as the Matenadaran, which I visited this morning. I cannot fail to mention the French University in Armenia as a high-quality institution, a symbolic achievement, which today has 2,300 students, from undergraduate to doctoral studies, and more than 3,600 graduates.

The strategic partnership also brings together the activities of local governments and civil society organizations, which play a special role in the relations between France and Armenia, such as the fifth conference on decentralized cooperation held in Goris. A number of projects are being implemented at the community and regional levels with the involvement of various non-governmental organizations, and let me say that Armenia ranks fourth among the countries receiving support from French local governments.

Here, ladies and gentlemen, this is what I wanted to say today, in addition to the words of the Prime Minister, who described the situation very well. And beyond all this, our strategic partnership is also aimed at supporting you in the field of sustainable peace, for which you have made a courageous decision. We want and are determined to accompany you. I also want to welcome some progress in the field of trade between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And all this comes to further develop the agenda that we talked about a moment ago.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, once again I want to express my gratitude to you, to express our support in the important steps that Armenia has decided to take today. And these agreements that we have signed today open a new path for the coming years.

Thank you.

Nikol Pashinyan and Emmanuel Macron also answered questions from media representatives.