ArmInfo. France plans to expand activities in Armenia in the field of solar energy and install solar panels on reservoirs. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Anne Louyot stated during a meeting with Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Economy, the meeting took place on December 10 in order to determine the priority areas of bilateral economic cooperation for 2022.
During the conversation with the Ambassador, Kerobyan noted that a high level of humanitarian and political relations may create favorable conditions for deepening economic cooperation. "We are ready to make every effort to develop the economic direction of cooperation between our countries," he said.
Attaching importance to the signing on December 9 in Paris of the roadmap on Armenian-French economic cooperation for 2021-2026, the French Ambassador drew attention to the fact that the countries will have to work intensively in this direction.
Raphael Jozan, Head of the French Development Agency (AFD) Regional Representative Office for South Caucasus also attended the meeting. In particular, he stated that the AFD intends to provide assistance in the economic and cultural development of Armenia in the near future.
Jozan touched upon the AFD project for the construction of the Vedi reservoir in Armenia, which, in his words, is exemplary from the point of view of quality. He noted that such projects are aimed at providing employment in the regions, as well as promoting the development of rural communities. The Agency, according to Jozan, is also interested in investing in projects for the reconstruction of rural roads and communications.
During the meeting, Minister Kerobyan briefly presented the measures envisaged by the economic part of the new program of the Armenian government. He singled out the need for irrigation water, water resources management and land reform as priority issues. It was noted that the French side showed interest in cooperation in these areas.
Discussing the areas of cooperation, Vahan Kerobyan also spoke about his interest in launching green hydrogen production in Armenia. Emphasizing that this issue is now in the focus of attention of the Ministry of Economy, he invited the French side to consider the possibility of implementing joint projects in this area.
According to the source, at the end of the meeting, the Minister of Economy accepted the Ambassador's invitation to take part in the economic forum to be held early next year in France.
According to the RA Statistical Committee, the foreign trade turnover between Armenia and France for 10 months of 2021 grew by 5.3%, amounting to $ 76.7 million.
At the same time, exports increased 2.3-fold to $ 9.3 million, with a decline in imports by 2.1% to $ 67.4 million
The French Development Agency ( Agence Francaise de Developpement -AFD) was established in 1998. It is the financial mechanism operator for mutual development of the Republic of France. Being under the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Finance, the Interior and Overseas France, it is a commerce and industry state institution. It struggles against poverty and promotes economic growth in the developing countries and overseas territories of France.
Effective cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the AFD began in 2012. According to the data published on the website of the Ministry of Finance of Armenia, as of October 5, 2021, the AFD portfolio in our country is 125.5 million euros.
