France is ready to start providing Armenia with military equipment to bolster Yerevan's defense capabilities, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Oct. 3, citing French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
"France has agreed to sign a contract with Armenia on the provision of military aid," Colonna said during a press conference in Yerevan with her Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan.
The official added that, for now, she cannot elaborate on the details of the military support.
The French minister also said that she asked the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, to expand the observation mission in Armenia and include Yerevan in the European peace mechanism, similar to the one implemented by the bloc in Moldova.
Colonna's statements come only weeks after Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against the ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh and established full control over the region.
Baku's onslaught made over 100,000 of Karabakh's Armenians leave their homes for Armenia.
Russian "peacekeepers" were stationed in the area, nominally to stop violence between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, but did nothing to prevent Azerbaijan's Sept. 20 offensive.
Tensions between Armenia and their long-time ally Russia have risen since then, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hinted that Armenia could no longer rely on Russia.
Francis Farrell
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