Macron to sign strategic partnership agreement with Pashinyan during  May visit to Armenia

ArmInfo. French President Emmanuel Macron will sign a strategic partnership agreement with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his May visit to  Yerevan, stated Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for European  Affairs to the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

The diplomat stated that the 8th European Political Community Summit  is a very important event, during which Armenia will become a kind of  European hub for several days.

"This underscores Armenia's geopolitical significance. At the same  time, President Macron will make his first-ever visit to Armenia. We  will be able to strengthen the already very close historical,  cultural, and economic ties between our countries, as well as defense  cooperation. President Macron and Prime Minister Pashinyan will sign  a strategic partnership agreement that will bring us even closer  together," Haddad said in an interview with CivilNet.

He added that the EU-Armenia summit will follow, which will provide  an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the European Union  and Yerevan. Haddad expressed confidence that this will be a  significant milestone in Armenia's relations with France and the  European Union.

"France has already expanded its defense cooperation with  Armenia-both in terms of arms supplies and consulting. We have sent  our military attache to our embassy in Yerevan. This is one of  President Macron's priorities," Haddad emphasized, noting the need to  expand defense cooperation, which has already been actively pursued  in recent years.

The French diplomat also said that this was his first time in Armenia  and that he visited the Genocide Museum. "It was a very important and  very emotional experience. Even back then, this tragedy, this  genocide, touched many French and Europeans, who wrote about it,"  Haddad concluded.