The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia Vahram Dumanyan received today the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Jonathan Lacote. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan.

Welcoming the Ambassador, the ESCS Minister spoke about the multi-layered Armenian-French cooperation, noting that there are all preconditions for the continuation and expansion of joint programs.

“The last year was a tough one for Armenia, but we have always felt the support of France. We are now undertaking practical steps to overcome the difficulties posed by the war and the coronavirus pandemic, and in this regard, we are implementing joint programs, especially in the field of education, hence the real security begins with education. We have wider opportunities for the consistent development of bilateral relations taking into account the centuries-old Armenian-French friendship and the rich experience of cooperation,” stated Vahram Dumanyan.

The Ambassador Jonathan Lacote, thanking for the reception, reaffirmed his willingness to continue the collaboration: “The best way to meet the challenges is through education, which is the core of relations between Armenia and France. Anatole France French Educational Complex Foundation and the French University in Armenia are vivid manifestations of collaborations. The opening of the educational complex is planned before the summer vacations. We are sure that it will be one of the most beautiful French educational complexes in the world. As Charles Aznavour would say, we have an educational complex that is 100% Armenian and 100% French.”

Jonathan Lacote informed the Minister Vahram Dumanyan about the intention of granting international status to the French University of Armenia noting that it can become an international university of Francophonie in Caucasus. The ESCS Minister underlined the importance of the activities of this university in our country and expressed willingness to contribute to its advancement and development.

The agenda also covered the issue of the preservation of the Armenian cultural heritage in the territories under Azerbaijani control.

“We highlight the assistance and role of France in the initiatives for the preservation of the Armenian tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This heritage is not only of Armenian origin - it also has universal value,” noted the ESCS Minister.

Ambassador Jonathan Lacote responded that the issue is in the focus of attention of the French side: “We are well aware of this painful issue. Back in November, the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting during which the issues of preserving historical, cultural and spiritual values were discussed. In this regard both the work with UNESCO and the bilateral cooperation are essential for us. There is a danger of the Armenian historical and cultural heritage transformation, so it is important that at this stage Azerbaijan feels that it is under surveillance.”

Issues related to the development of inter-university cooperation, training of specialists in the field of culture, the implementation of joint Erasmus+ programs and other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting.