Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe started his visit to Armenia from the province of Syunik.
The French delegation also includes ex-minister, Member of the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau, as well as the widow of prominent French-Armenian politician Patrick Devedjian, Sophie Devedjian.
"Although I am in Armenia for two days, we decided not to limit ourselves to Yerevan. The first thing I wanted to be was in Syunik, which is close to the Lachin corridor, where the reality of the closed road is felt more acutely. Also, I wanted to be aware of the invasions into the territory of Armenia, so we started the visit from Syunik," Philippe told reporters on Monday, February 20, Aravot reports.
The delegation met with Syunik governor Robert Ghukasyan and Goris community leader Arush Arushanyan, as well as with the residents of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) who have temporarily sheltered in Syunik due to the closure of the Armenia-Artsakh road.
Philippe highlighted the fact that the visit of the delegation led by him to Armenia coincided with the deployment of observers on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border by the European Union.
Since December 12, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia – the Lachin Corridor – has been blocked by self-described Azerbaijani environmentalists. Karabakh residents have reported food and fuel shortages, while hospital patients don't have access to essential medicines, with only a handful allowed transfer to facilities in Armenia proper.
