Armenia and France signed a historic agreement on the supply of military systems, military training and defence cooperation.

The signing marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation between the two countries. As part of his working visit to France, Armenian Defence Minister, Suren Papikyan, visited the French Ministry of Defence, where he was received with an official welcoming ceremony, including a military band and an honor guard.

The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to France, Hasmik Tolmajyan, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia, Olivier Decotigny.

During the meeting, the Ministers discussed issues related to cooperation in the field of defence and regional security as well as the progress of work on the implementation of the agreements reached as a result of the discussions held in Paris in September 2022 and in June this year.

Also read: France | Defence cooperation agreement with Armenia

They also described new opportunities for the development of cooperation, including the acquisition of defence systems, military training, education, exchange of experience and other issues of mutual interest.

The parties highly appreciated the current level of cooperation and expressed their readiness to make new efforts for its further development.

After the official meeting, the Ministers held a joint press conference, during which Minister Papikyan thanked the French side for its comprehensive support in the development of defence cooperation.

The Ministers also answered journalists’ questions and signed the documents for bilateral cooperation at the French Ministry of Defence.

Armenia is acquiring three tactical, medium-range air-defence radars Ground Master 200 (GM200) from Thales and night-vision binoculars from Safran.

Along with this contract, France will help to support the modernisation of the Armenian Army through enhanced training and cooperation, while a Letter of Intent was signed to encourage cooperation in the field of air defence, which will involve, among other, auditing Armenia’s ground-based air-defence capabilities.

Also read: Ground Master 200 | The radar Thales sends to Ukraine