French President Nicolas Sarkozy has welcomed the joint statement made by Turkey and Armenia outlining further steps in the normalization of bilateral relations. President Sarkozy's statement reads: The President of the Republic read the news regarding the restart of negotiations between Armenia and Turkey leading to a normalization of relations and the opening of the border with a sense of satisfaction and hope. France welcomes the authorities of Armenia and Turkey for the steps they have taken and encourages them to redouble their efforts to quickly sign an agreement.