News - First time in history: France defense minister to visit Armenia

Sebastien Lecornu, the French Minister for the Armed Forces, on Thursday will arrive in Armenia on a two-day visit, Le Figaro reported. "French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu will be in Armenia on Thursday and Friday, the day after the pantheonization of Missak and Manouchian, a fighter of Armenian origin in the Resistance Movement, in Paris, to strengthen relations in the defense sector," the aforesaid French newspaper wrote. "France and Armenia have historically friendly relations, but relations in the defense sector have not been at the level of intensity of bilateral relations," the French Ministry of the Armed Forces noted, emphasizing that this is the first visit of by a French defense minister to Armenia. Le Figaro recalled that in October 2023, France and Armenia signed a protocol of intent on air defense, which includes a contract for the purchase of three Thales Ground Master (GM200) air defense radars, which can detect an enemy aircraft from 250 kilometers, as well as a contract for night vision systems—binoculars made by Safran, which will be delivered on Thursday.