YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARTSAKHPRESS. On April 13, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Paruyr Havhannisyan received the delegation led by Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia, welcoming the guests, the Deputy Minister highlighted the special ties and effective cooperation between Yerevan and Lyon, which has its own place in the privileged Armenian-French relations. Paruyr Hovhannisyan thanked for organizing the fourth forum of Armenian-French decentralized cooperation in Lyon last year at a high level and for hosting the representatives of Armenian territorial administration bodies.
Expressing gratitude for hosting the Lyon delegation in Armenia with special warmth these days, Grégory Doucet confirmed his willingness to further deepen and strengthen the relations with Yerevan, which started in 1992.
The sides particularly highlighted the realization of joint projects between the communities of Yerevan and Lyon, Armenia and Lyon metropolis, particularly in the economic sphere.
Paruyr Hovhannisyan presented to the delegation the current challenges of the region and Armenia’s continuous efforts to establish peace. Referring to the aggressive actions of Azerbaijan, including the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh due to the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor and the provocation of the Azerbaijani side near the Tegh community on April 11, he noted that Azerbaijan’s attitude is aimed at completely disrupting efforts to establish stability and peace in the South Caucasus. In this context, he emphasized the imperative of sending an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and stressed the importance of implementing the February 22 decision of the International Court of Justice.
It is noted that at the end of the meeting, on the initiative of the French side and with the mediation of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, a meeting was held with Seyran Saghatelyan, the father of Armenian prisoner of war Grigor Saghatelyan, who is illegally held in Azerbaijan, and the Mayor of Lyon.
