Relations between

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

have existed since the French and the Armenians established contact in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in the 12th century. Formal diplomatic relations between Armenia and France were established on 24 February 1992. Due to the good relations between the two countries, 2006 was proclaimed the Year of Armenia in France. France has the third largest

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

community in the world behind

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and has by far the largest Armenian community in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

with estimates ranging from 250,000 to 750,000. Armenia has an embassy in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and an consulates-general in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

and

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. France has an embassy in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

. Both nations are members of the Council of Europe. Avignon-Jean-Althen-statue-5608

History

Diplomatic relations between Armenia and France were established on 24 February 1992. On 2 October 2009, Vigen Chitechian was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to France. On 5 November 2010, Henri Reynaud, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Armenia, presented his credentials to the President of Armenia,

Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan ( hy, Սերժ Ազատի Սարգսյան, ; born 30 June 1954)Of ...

. Also on 1 December 2011 Vardan Sirmakes was appointed Consul General of Armenia in Marseille. On 7 January 2015, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia

Eduard Nalbandyan Eduard Aghvani Nalbandian ( hy, Էդվարդ Աղվանի Նալբանդյան; born July 16, 1956) is an Armenian diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia from April 2008 to May 2018. Biography Edward Nalbandian was born i ...

issued a press release on the

Charlie Hebdo shooting On 7 January 2015, at about 11:30 a.m. CET local time, two French Muslim terrorists and brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, forced their way into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper ''Charlie Hebdo'' in Paris. Armed with ...

, saying, "We strongly condemn terrorist act committed at the office of 'Charlie Hebdo' magazine in Paris" and added that "such appalling actions of extremists has no justification whatsoever and once again prove the necessity of wider solidarity in the international community's fight against terrorism." The Armenian Government also expressed their "condolences and support to the people, authorities of friendly France, editorial staff of 'Charlie Hebdo' magazine, and the relatives of the victims." Though it has a very small French-speaking population, as a result of its historical ties to France, Armenia was selected to host the biennial Francophonie summit in 2018. French is taught at the Fondation Université Française en Arménie in Yerevan. In October 2023, France begun selling military equipment, most notably air-defence systems, to Armenia, amidst rising fears of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the Azerbaijani offensive and subsequent flight of Armenians in

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...

Armenian genocide recognition

During the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...

, France took in tens of thousands of Armenian refugees escaping the genocide. France was also one of few countries to send rescue boats for the Armenians. After a 53-day resistance by Armenian citizens against Ottoman attacks, the population of

Musa Dagh Musa Dagh ( tr, Musa Dağı; hy, Մուսա լեռ, ; ar, جبل موسى ; meaning "Moses Mountain") is a mountain in the Hatay province of Turkey. In 1915, it was the location of a successful Armenian resistance to the Armenian genocide, a ...

was rescued by the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

. The population of which would eventually settle in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, mainly in the town of Anjar. In 1998, a resolution by the French National Assembly regarding the recognition of the Armenian genocide was passed. In 2001, France became the first European country to officially recognize the Armenian genocide. In 2006, the French National Assembly voted in favor of a bill which makes

Armenian genocide denial Armenian genocide denial is the claim that the Ottoman Empire and its ruling party, the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), did not commit genocide against its Armenian citizens during World War I—a crime documented in a large body o ...

illegal.

Armenians in France

France has the third largest Armenian community in the world, after

and the

, estimates number between 250,000 and 750,000. The Armenian community in France remained close to their cultural origins, while at the same time; they integrated into French society and contributed greatly to Francophone culture.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Armenia has an embassy in

and consulates-general in

and

. * France has an embassy in

. File:Armenian embassy in France 20080511 2.jpg, Embassy of Armenia in Paris File:Consulat général d'Arménie à Lyon.JPG, Consulate-General of Armenia in Lyon File:Embassy of France in Armenia.png, Embassy of France in Yerevan

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenia-France relations

Bilateral relations of France

History

Armenian genocide recognition

Armenians in France

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

Notes and references