France, Armenia aim to strengthen military cooperation Paris to arm Yerevan over mythical "threats"

On February 23, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu met with his Armenian colleagues in Yerevan to explore increasing military cooperation.

“We can say that this was a very unusual week for our two republics,” Lecornu said at a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Caliber.Az reports citing Armenian media.

“As I told the media representatives with whom I just spoke, indeed, there was a certain split: on the one hand, the warm friendly relations that we had, on the other, not fully realized cooperation in the defence sector.

I think that your personal relationship with the French President also plays a big role in this progress. This is based on trust, and let me say, on our two-way trust.

I think that you and the defence minister have outlined for us a very specific path of cooperation between our teams. Taking into account the threats that hang over Armenia, we are forced to move forward faster. That is, it is very important for us to react quickly and organize steps.

A lot of things were already in process, but thanks to bilateral relations and the meeting you had with President Macron, all of that this morning allowed us to move forward in the directions that you set out together in Paris," Lecornu said.

“The interlocutors discussed the work carried out in the direction of defence cooperation and plans for the future.

The parties emphasized the importance of Armenia-France cooperation within the framework of reforms of the Armenian Armed Forces, including military education, combat training and other areas.

An exchange of views also took place on issues of regional security and stability,” the press service of the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers said in a statement.