Artsakh President Bako Sahakian meets with French Senators in Paris. May 20, 2015. (Photo: official publication)

PARIS—On Wednesday, the President of Artsakh, Bako Sahakian, visited the French Senate in Paris during an official visit to France, where he met with a number of Senators.

The President briefed the Senators on the state-building process in Artsakh, its domestic and foreign policy, the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement process, regional trends and responded to questions.

The President underlined that Stepanakert attaches importance to the development of bilateral relations with France, a friendly country and one of the cradles of democracy, a country which became a second homeland for tens of thousands of Armenians, who escaped their historic homelands following the Armenian Genocide.

The President hailed the role of France in the Karabakh conflict settlement process and in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Sahakian also visited the town of Sarcelles and met there with city authorities headed by mayor François Pupponi.

A cooperation agreement between Sarcelles and Martakert was signed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan stressed that cooperation with various French towns and cities was of special importance for Artsakh, considering it a significant opportunity for urban development in the Artsakh Republic and deepening the Karabagh-France relationship.

Meanwhile, the French ambassador to Azerbaijan, Pascal Meunier, has been summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in connection with the visit of President Sahakian to France, Azeri media reported.