France was one of the first countries to directly condemn the criminal acts of Azerbaijan against the peaceful civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh; Grigor Minasyan receives Ambassador of France to Armenia

Today, Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Olivier Decottignies.

The Minister expressed gratitude to France, as it was one of the first countries to directly condemn Azerbaijan for the security situation in the region and for the subsequent large-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, indicating the criminal acts of the country against the peaceful civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Minister also attached importance to the initiative of France to convene the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on 22 September, as well as to the position expressed by France within the scope of this meeting.

Grigor Minasyan emphasised that what is also important for the Republic of Armenia is the fact that, in an interview with the French television channel TF1 on 24 September, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron once again reaffirmed the maintenance of the territorial integrity of Armenia and the willingness of France to provide assistance in this direction.

The Ambassador expressed gratitude for the reception and emphasised that the situation created around Nagorno-Karabakh is truly troubling. Olivier Decottignies noted that the French side has recorded and, through different channels, condemned the cases of shelling of peaceful civilians and civilian infrastructures and illegal capture.

The Minister and Ambassador also touched upon the ongoing demonstrations and acts of disobedience going on in the city of Yerevan. The circumstances of external influence of these processes were considered. The police actions carried out during the demonstrations and the legal procedures following those demonstrations were also touched upon. The Ambassador noted that in France there is a Public Spaces Protection Order and supervisory mechanisms, with regard to which the French party would be glad to organise exchange of experience.

Moving to the issues on the agenda, the parties discussed the agenda of ongoing judicial and legal reforms. Ambassador Decottignies highly appreciated the steps that the Ministry of Justice is taking for consistent implementation of the agenda and for strengthening of rule of law and democratic institutions, indicating that these developments are important not only in the subtext of democratic reforms, but also in the subtext of improvement of the investment climate.

Both parties attached importance to the strong partnership between the Ministry of Justice and the French Republic and the programmes that have been implemented in recent years with the support of the French Embassy for strengthening of the justice system and for judicial and legal reforms and access to justice in Armenia.

The parties also considered the progress of and perspectives for the co-operation between the Ministry of Justice and the French University Foundation in Armenia, particularly the practical application of the theoretical knowledge of students of the University within the scope of functions of the Ministry.

The Minister and Ambassador discussed the process of ratification of the Rome Statute and the possible co-operation in that direction. The process of setting up an arbitration centre in Armenia and the opportunity for exchange of experience in this context, were also considered.

During the meeting, the disciplinary proceedings initiated against judges were also touched upon. The Minister mentioned that the current legislation enables to study the judgments rendered by the European Court of Human Rights and, in case violations are detected – subject the judges to disciplinary liability.

The Minister and Ambassador discussed other issues of mutual interest.