On July 28, newly-appointed Ambassador of France to Armenia Olivier Decottignies presented copies of credentials to Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan.

Minister Mirzoyan congratulated the newly-appointed Ambassador on the occasion of assuming the responsible mission and expressed confidence that Ambassador Olivier Decottignies will make every effort during his tenure to further develop relations between the two countries in accordance with their current privileged nature.

The Ambassador, on his turn, thanked for the warm welcome, expressing readiness through his active involvement to contribute to the expansion of relations based on the friendship of the two peoples and common interests.

The interlocutors emphasized the high-level political dialogue between Armenia and France, active mutual visits and regular contacts in different formats that contribute to the search for new prospects of cooperation in the current challenging times.

During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the programs on the Armenian-French bilateral agenda, touching upon the issues of implementation of the "Roadmap of Armenian-French Economic Cooperation 2021-2026", expanding cooperation with the French Development Agency, as well as in the areas of culture and education.

Regional and international security issues were discussed. Ararat Mirzoyan briefed the newly appointed Ambassador on the daily deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor. Emphasizing the importance of the clear assessments made so far regarding the lifting of the blockade, the Minister stressed the need for effective use of existing mechanisms in that direction.

Touching upon the vision of the Armenian side regarding peace and stability in the region, Minister Mirzoyan underlined the importance of clear steps and continuous engagement of the actors interested in that issue.