Pashinyan praises France’s continued support for Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has praised France and President Emmanuel Macron personally for their continued support to Armenia across the economy, security, defence, diplomacy, culture and education, as well as in Armenia–European Union relations.

Pashinyan made the remarks during joint statements with Macron, who is on a state visit to Armenia, following a series of agreement-signing ceremonies.

As an example of ongoing support, the Armenian prime minister highlighted a French agreement to construct the Bargushat tunnel as part of the North–South highway project. He said this would not only mark a new phase in the road’s construction but also set a new qualitative standard for road building in Armenia.

“We constantly speak about the need to adopt European standards across various sectors. On paper, there is no great difficulty in enshrining those standards, but we also need companies with the capacity, skills and knowledge to implement them. In this case, the involvement of French construction companies in the North–South road project, which I am confident will also engage local contractors, will create a serious opportunity not only to adopt new standards but also to expand and spread them within Armenia’s economic life,” Pashinyan said.

He added that the agreement on the Bargushat tunnel concerns one of the most complex sections of the North–South highway, requiring specialised expertise and capabilities.

“As in many such cases, France and President Macron stood by Armenia, and today we can say that this vast, megaproject of the North–South highway is already taking shape. We can now see the steps by which the road will be fully completed and put into operation,” the prime minister said.