France Ready to Deepen Ties with Armenia, Cement Strategic Partnership Agreement

YEREVAN — France and Armenia are planning to solidify their close relationship through a formal strategic partnership agreement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced during a visit to Yerevan on Monday.

French-Armenian relations are already “largely strategic,” Barrot said following talks with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan. He cited examples of existing collaboration, including bilateral military cooperation.

“Together with my colleague Ararat, we are going to put all this on paper—preparing a document on strategic partnership that will further formalize our existing relations and outline new initiatives, including in the area of defense, for the years and decades ahead,” Barrot said during a joint news conference.

Mirzoyan confirmed plans for such an agreement but did not disclose specific details.

“My visit today is an opportunity to reaffirm France’s support for Armenia—its future, and its place and integration in the region,” Barrot said at the start of his meeting with Mirzoyan.

During a separate meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday, Barrot once again emphasized France’s unwavering support for Armenia’s development and capacity building. He reiterated that France is prepared to further deepen and expand its ties with Armenia, particularly in political and economic spheres.

Barrot also congratulated Prime Minister Pashinyan on Armenia being selected to host the next European Political Community Summit.

Pashinyan welcomed the French Foreign Minister’s visit, noting that bilateral relations are at a high level. More importantly, he said, cooperation across various sectors continues to deepen and strengthen. He added that this trend was reaffirmed during his recent meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Tirana.

The two sides discussed infrastructure development, investment opportunities, and the implementation of new joint initiatives.

They also exchanged views on regional developments, including the latest progress on the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement. Prime Minister Pashinyan reaffirmed his government’s firm commitment to the peace agenda.