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French Ambassador Charpentier: Orange Ownership Change Was a Business Deal

Newly appointed French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier told Hetq that it was too early to estimate what impact the sale of Orange Armenia would have on overall foreign investment in Armenia.

“The only thing that I can state now is that Orange, despite being the primary French investor, isn’t the only one. There are other companies operating here,” said Charpentier.

When asked why Orange, so successful elsewhere in the world, faced problems here in Armenia, and if he had talked to company management, Charpentier said he hadn’t.

“I am not the one who should be answering questions related to a private company. I would advise you to direct such questions to Orange management,” was Charpentier’s response.

When Hetq asked if Orange Armenia’s leaving the scene meant that Armenia is no longer considered an attractive market for French investors, Charpentier said that the change of shareholder of Orange was a result of commercial talks.

“Market laws are primary in such transactions, the balance of supply and demand. And finally, there’s the issue of confidence. In reality, such a question isn’t put to a diplomat, a state official, or a politician. It’s directed to the economic players. Only they can specifically answer a question regarding the business climate in Armenia and whether they [the players], have a desire to implement projects in such an environment,” Charpentier responded.

When asked to evaluate Armenian-French economic cooperation, the ambassador said that spurring economic relations between the two countries remains a cornerstone of French activity in Armenia.

“That direction was reaffirmed on April 24, when the presidents of our countries met, and when our prime ministers met in Paris on July 3. Now, we are working to organize a second business conference in Paris for the fall. We will do all to make it a success and to assist trade and economic activity between our two nations,” Charpentier responded.

Photo: armtimes.com

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