YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France Valérie Pécresse says that the 2020 Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against Armenia was a warning for entire Europe.

“I think that what happened in Armenia was an important warning for Europe, and it would be very wrong for us to underestimate its importance and think that everything that happened here doesn’t threaten us, because Europe’s history is full of lessons that threats have emerged at times when they were underestimated,” Pecresse, the head of the French region of Île-de-France and a candidate for the French presidency in 2022 said at a press conference in Yerevan as part of her visit to Armenia.

Photos by Mkhitar Khachatryan

During her visit the French politician had meetings with the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, the Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and discussed the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war and the post-war situation. In this context, Pécresse called on the Azerbaijani authorities to unconditionally release all remaining Armenian POWs.

Pécresse believes that France can play a role in the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in several arenas. One of these platforms, according to her, is the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, while the other would be raising the issue at the level of Europe.

“You know that in January France will assume the presidency of the European Union, and I believe we have an important role here to convince other European countries to be more involved in solving the conflicts of the region,” she said, welcoming the December 14 meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders under the mediation of the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

In addition, Pécresse is planning to organize an international conference in Paris in support of Armenia. She said the agenda of the conference would include issues of establishing and maintaining peace, as well as other important issues such as the preservation of cultural and spiritual heritage in Armenia and Artsakh.

Valérie Pécresse said she is very close to Armenia, and this trip is her third visit. Her first visit to Armenia was in 1990 when she was working at the French embassy in Moscow, when she flew to Armenia after the devastating Spitak earthquake. Pécresse recalled the French humanitarian support and the important role it played in rehabilitation works. Her second visit took place in 2018 after Yerevan hosted the La Francophonie summit and she’d arrived in her current capacity to strengthen the ties between Île-de-France and the city of Yerevan and to develop cooperation with the Armenian province of Tavush.

Recalling her 2018 trip, Pécresse spoke about her visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, where she planted a tree at the memory park. She even re-visited the memorial during this trip and saw the tree which she’d planted, and once again paid homage to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Pécresse and her delegation also visited the Yerablur military cemetery to pay tribute to the memory of the fallen troops. Then, they visited the Zinvori Tun (Soldier’s Home) Rehabilitation Center where veterans of the 2020 war are being treated for their injuries.

As another reason for her visit, Pécresse noted that she is personally greatly involved in the protection of Christians.

“We attach importance to the issue of protection of Christians because we aren’t naïve, our eyes aren’t closed, and we think that today there are certain dangers threatening Armenia, but these dangers are also hanging over France and Europe,” she warned.

Pécresse said she dedicates her visit to the youth, especially the mostly young men who died in the 2020 war and the over 80,000 IDPs. “The youth is the future of this country, and it is highly important that they live and prosper in their own country, on their land. I know that migration is a very concerning problem in your country today, but Armenia is a very strong and resistant country, its democratic system is resistance, and this year’s democratic elections once again reaffirmed this.”

She further noted that France ought to be more involved in Armenia in developing educational and cultural partnership, including by opening a French Institute.

“Certainly, commercial relations are also very important,” Pécresse added.

Pécresse announced that an agricultural lyceum will be opened in Tavush, and it will be named after the late French-Armenian politician Patrick Devedjian.