On December 8, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ara Aivazian held a meeting with Foreign Minister of France Jean Yves Le Drian in Paris. 

The Foreign Ministers touched upon a number of issues on bilateral agenda. Minister Aivazian commended the high-level of the Armenian-French relations, emphasizing the commitment to further expand and enrich it in all directions. 

At the center of the negotiations were the issues of regional security and stability. Taking the opportunity Minister Aivazian highly appreciated the efforts of France aimed at establishing peace and addressing the humanitarian situation resulting from the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh. 

Minister Aivazian highlighted that Azerbaijan had committed war crimes throughout the war against Artsakh including by using prohibited weapons against the civilian population and deliberately targeting vital infrastructure, which was aimed at creating a humanitarian catastrophe in Artsakh and completely evicting the Armenians from Artsakh. 

Touching upon the issues of addressing the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, the Foreign Minister of Armenia highlighted the  importance of providing conditions for the return of the Armenians to Artsakh and protecting their rights. Minister Aivazian highly appreciated the support of France and the French people to the people of Artsakh during these challenging times, which was also manifested in providing humanitarian aid to the people of Artsakh. In this context, both sides stressed the strict adherence to international humanitarian law, norms of human rights, respect for the historical-cultural heritage of Artsakh, including through the involvement of relevant international organizations on the ground.

In the context of regional security, both sides expressed concern over Turkey's destabilizing role both with its direct involvement in the aggression against Artsakh and the transfer of foreign terrorist fighters from the Middle East to the region. 

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and France exchanged views on the resumption of Nagorno-Karabakh peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. In this regard, Minister Aivazian stressed the importance of recognizing the status of Artsakh based on the realization of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh. 

The meeting was followed by the joint press conference of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and France Ara Aivazian and Jean Yves Le Drian.