French President Emmanuel Macron restated his government’s support to defend Armenia’s independence and territorial integrity during a press briefing yesterday prior to meeting visiting Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan.

Pashinyan and a delegation of Armenian officials travelled to Paris to attend the induction of French resistance fighter Missak Manouchian and his wife Mélinée in the Panthéon mausoleum for national heroes.

“I would also like to salute, dear Nikol, your personal courage and determination to move forward on this path. Armenia's membership in the International Criminal Court is also a shining example of this commitment. At this moment, as we commemorate Missak and Mélinée Manouchian, war crimes continue on the continent of Europe, and the fight for freedom, more than ever, requires a fight against impunity,” Macron remarked.

Macron and Pashinyan were set to discuss strengthening cooperation between their two countries including the defense sector.

Pashinyan thanked Macron for inviting him to attend the induction of the Manouchians in the Panthéon, describing it “a truly historic and emotional event.”

Pashinyan then repeated his invitation to Macron to attend a ceremony in Yerevan this September commemorating the 100th anniversary of Charles Aznavour.

Pashinyan thanked Macron for spearheading the deepening of relations between Paris and Yerevan and for his support of democratic reforms in Armenia.

The two were scheduled to discuss developments in the South Caucasus and efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.