YEREVAN — Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan of Armenia met this week with new ambassador of France to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte. Congratulating the ambassador on his new post, the prime minister expressed confidence that his activities would help develop and strengthen the Armenian-French relations.
Karapetyan said he attached importance to the deepening of trade and economic ties between the two countries, emphasizing that Armenia could become a solid platform for French companies to enter the Iranian and the Eurasian Economic Union markets.
Karapetyan said he could see good prospects in developing cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, tourism, transport, water resources management, information technology and other spheres. The Premier highlighted the role of France in building EU-Armenia linkages and promoting bilateral cooperation on international platforms.
Thankful for the warm welcome, the French Ambassador said he shared the Premier’s opinion concerning the development of bilateral relations, including the need for activating economic interaction. Jonathan Lacôte noted that he had already called at different French companies successfully operating in Armenia. There are many other companies interested in the launch of business activities in waste management, energy, transport, agriculture, and other spheres. Lacôte said he was impressed with Armenia’s IT potential, adding that there are good opportunities for cooperation in this field as well.
The interlocutors emphasized the importance of holding business forums in order to present our country’s investment attractiveness to business circles abroad.
Karapetyan and Lacôte also touched upon the upcoming La Francophonie Summit to be held next year in Armenia. They expressed confidence that it would promote political and economic contacts between the Member States and Armenia.
