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On October 25, the Head of the RA National Assembly Delegation to Parliamentary Assembly of Francophonie (APF) Margarit Yesayan delivered a speech during the 30^th Jubilee Session of APF for the European Region.

“Dear colleagues,

It is a great honour for me to take part in the 30^th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Francophonie for the European Region. I welcome everybody and I am thankful to our colleagues of Bosnia-Herzegovina for hosting this important event.

The agenda of our work is full, and the debates are over important theme: the mutual economic contacts of Francophone countries, the economic cooperation and the perspectives.

I am not an economist myself, but I considered these discussions very important and I would like to inform you that the Republic of Armenia highlights very much the cooperation with the Francophonie organization.

Dear colleagues,

Perhaps, all of you know that the 18^th Summit of the Francophonie organization will be held in October 2018. Our country gets prepared to this important event with all responsibility. Regularly, as two days ago, the RA President Serzh Sargsyan held a working discussion on the organizational work of this important event. The assignments are given distinctly: Armenia should do everything for decently receiving our colleagues. You know that after that Armenia will become the presiding country in this structure, hence, also strictly emphasizing the economic themes I would like to say the following. Armenia envisages signing the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU during the European Summit to be held in Brussels on November 24. With this Armenia can prove that being part of the Eurasian economic integration processes, on the other hand can have enhanced and deep relations with the European Union. Thus, joining the EEU Armenia can be attractive for the European investors interested with the possibility of having an access to the Eurasian wide market without customs duty. This is very important for our country and will help to deepen the relations with the European countries.

You know that since 2015 Armenia is an active member of the Eurasian Economic Union, which unites Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, making the choice of joining the EEU, at the same time Armenia can be anchored to Europe, becoming, thus, a bridge between the two markets. Armenia can be useful for the enterprises of the ‘economic Francophonie’ for having an access to the EEU, as well as for the establishment of their relations with Armenia’s neighbour Iran. The Government of Armenia has launched the creation of the free economic zone on the Armenian-Iranian border, and in this project our Francophone colleagues’ participation will be welcoming.

At the end I consider noting that the ‘economic Francophonie’ has provided its serious presence in the Armenian market through France. The French big enterprises show growing interest towards the latter, which is explained, as it was noted above, on the one hand by the fact of having an access to the Iranian market as a result of opening to outer world by Iran, on the other hand, by the membership of Armenia to the EEU, which gives an opportunity to enter into the markets of the Russian and Central Asian countries.

I am thankful for the discussions and I would like to announce that we are ready for free contacts," Mrs Yesayan said.