• NEWS

French lawmakers call for opening of consulate in Syunik as ‘important step’ to protect Armenia’s territorial integrity

Posted on July. 29. 2023

YEREVAN, ARMENPRESS. Two prominent French Members of Parliament have called on the French government to open a consulate representation in the province of Syunik, a move they described would be an “important step” by France for preserving Armenia’s territorial integrity.
In a letter to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Member of Parliament Anne-Laurence Petel, the Chair of the National Assembly’s France-Armenia Friendship Group, and Senator Gilbert-Luc Devinaz, the Chair of the France-Armenia Friendship Group of the Senate, said that France ought to open a consulate either in Kapan or Goris, like other countries have done.
Opening a consulate would be a strong move for the benefit of regional stability, and will act as a valuable outpost in terms of developing cooperation between France and Armenia.
The French lawmakers noted that despite being the least populated mountainous province, Syunik has a central place in terms of geopolitics in South Caucasus, first of all because of its rich mineral deposits, which are significant for the Armenian economy.
“Although Syunik is linked with Yerevan only with one mountain road, it is an important corridor for establishing contact with the outside world through the border with Iran. The 35km long Armenian-Iranian border is of vital importance for Armenia. It was the only one to remain open in the autumn on 2020 during the 44-Day War, safeguarding Armenia from total suffocation,” reads the letter.
“After all, the Azerbaijani regime has aspirations towards Syunik and wants to achieve the land connection of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan. This aspiration is part of a larger pan-Turkic plan, which aims to connect the Turkic population of the Bosporus with the Caspian Sea region. In this context, when the military imbalance is growing in favor of Azerbaijan every day, a new possible aggression by Azerbaijan could have disastrous consequences. Armenia has few allies to withstand this threat. Among them, France is the most dedicated country acting as guarantor of Armenia’s territorial integrity and the Armenian population’s security,” the French lawmakers added.