On April 25, RA Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan received the delegation led by Jean-Pierre Barbier, President of the Isère Department of France. Welcoming the guests, the deputy minister highlighted the special ties and practical cooperation between Armenia, particularly Gegharkunik and Isère Department, which has its place in the privileged Armenian-French relations.

Jean-Pierre Barbier, thanking him for hosting the delegation he led, confirmed the willingness to deepen and strengthen cooperation with Gegharkunik-Isère and with the cities of Grenoble and Vienne in the department, Sevan and Goris in the fields of healthcare, tourism, education, culture, Francophonie.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the long-term and institutionally effective decentralized cooperation between the two regions. In this context, the 2023-2027 Gegharkunik region and Izer Department agreement signed during the visit were highlighted as a decentralized cooperation agreement. Paruyr Hovhannisyan presented to the delegation the region's current challenges and Armenia's continuous efforts to establish peace.

Referring to the growing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor and the establishment of a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan on April 23, he noted that Azerbaijan's attitude is aimed at completely disrupting efforts to establish stability and peace in the South Caucasus. In this context, he emphasized the imperative of sending an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor. He stressed the importance of implementing the February 22 decision of the International Court of Justice.