Simonyan and Braun-Pivet’s meeting was followed by an expanded-format meeting, the press service of the parliament said in a statement.

Welcoming the parliamentarians, Simonyan said that Yaël Braun-Pivet is the first French National Assembly President to visit Armenia, and described the visit as historic.

“We are two nations but one civilization. Our relations are friendly and warm, France is a dear country for our country and our citizens,” Simonyan said.

The Armenian side highly appreciated France’s role in displaying solidarity and support to democratic Armenia and the Armenian people against the belligerent policy and aggressive actions of Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey.

Speaking about the post-war Artsakh and the Lachin Corridor, Speaker Simonyan expressed gratitude for France’s support to Armenia in the issue of solving the problems. He recalled the adoption of resolutions by the French parliament after the 44-Day War, highlighting the resolution calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan. The sides discussed in detail the situation in Artsakh, and described the violation of the rights of the 120,000 Armenians by Azerbaijan to be unacceptable.

Ideas were exchanged around the close cooperation between the two parliaments for the development of interstate relations between Armenia and France, and the significant contribution of the friendship groups in both parliaments in developing inter-parliamentary relations was highlighted.

The President of the National Assembly of France Yaël Braun-Pivet thanked for the invitation to visit Armenia and noted that the Armenian people can always view France as a reliable friend.

“We stand with the Armenian people, yesterday, today and forever,” she said, adding that the agreement which will be signed between the two parliaments on cooperation will convey institutional nature and will further enhance the already existing friendly and practical relations in all levels.

The agreement enhancing future cooperation was signed between the presidents of the national assemblies of both countries. After a joint press conference, a symbolic tree planting ceremony took place.