Armenian and French ministers to discuss elements of military cooperation

YEREVAN, October 23. /ARKA/. Armenian and French Defense Ministers Suren Papikyan and Sebastien Lecornu will discuss some elements of military cooperation in Paris, said Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the Armenian National Assembly’s Committee on Defense and Security Affairs.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kocharyan said Papikyan left for France on Sunday on an official visit and will discuss with his counterpart a string of issues .

Asked whether this is an expansion of Armenia's military cooperation, he said any country should expand the scope of such cooperation.

"The 44-day war (in Nagorno-Karabakh in the autumn of 2020) has prompted us to carry out broad work and establish relations that will help us resolve all issues concerning our borders and the stability of the state," Kocharyan said.

He said France will supply Armenia with defensive weapons. "The first priority is defensive armament, because no one will provide offensive armament to anyone today. Offensive armament presupposes another concept, and our defensive concept includes, first of all, defensive elements," Kocharyan said.

Earlier, it was reported that Papikyan and Lecornu will formalize agreements on the purchase of French air defense systems.

"Armenia should be allowed to protect its civilian population and secure its borders," Lecornu told last week French newspaper ‘Parisien.’-0-