France plans to expand activities in Armenia in field of solar energy

ArmInfo. France plans to expand activities in Armenia in the field of solar energy and install solar panels on reservoirs. Ambassador Extraordinary and  Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Anne Louyot stated during a  meeting with Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Economy, the  meeting took place on December 10 in order to determine the priority  areas of bilateral economic cooperation for 2022.

During the conversation with the Ambassador, Kerobyan noted that a  high level of humanitarian and political relations may create  favorable conditions for deepening economic cooperation. "We are  ready to make every effort to develop the economic direction of  cooperation between our countries," he said.

Attaching importance to the signing on December 9 in Paris of the  roadmap on Armenian-French economic cooperation for 2021-2026, the  French Ambassador drew attention to the fact that the countries will  have to work intensively in this direction.

Raphael Jozan, Head of the French Development Agency (AFD) Regional  Representative Office for South Caucasus also attended the meeting.  In particular, he stated that the AFD intends to provide assistance  in the economic and cultural development of Armenia in the near  future. 

Jozan touched upon the AFD project for the construction of the Vedi  reservoir in Armenia, which, in his words, is exemplary from the  point of view of quality. He noted that such projects are aimed at  providing employment in the regions, as well as promoting the  development of rural communities. The Agency, according to Jozan, is  also interested in investing in projects for the reconstruction of  rural roads and communications.

During the meeting, Minister Kerobyan briefly presented the measures  envisaged by the economic part of the new program of the Armenian  government. He singled out the need for irrigation water, water  resources management and land reform as priority issues. It was noted  that the French side showed interest in cooperation in these areas.

Discussing the areas of cooperation, Vahan Kerobyan also spoke about  his interest in launching green hydrogen production in Armenia.  Emphasizing that this issue is now in the focus of attention of the  Ministry of Economy, he invited the French side to consider the  possibility of implementing joint projects in this area.

According to the source, at the end of the meeting, the Minister of  Economy accepted the Ambassador's invitation to take part in the  economic forum to be held early next year in France.

According to the RA Statistical Committee, the foreign trade turnover  between Armenia and France for 10 months of 2021 grew by 5.3%,  amounting to $ 76.7 million.

At the same time, exports increased 2.3-fold to $ 9.3 million, with a  decline in imports by 2.1% to $ 67.4 million

The French Development Agency ( Agence Francaise de Developpement  -AFD)  was established in 1998. It is the financial mechanism  operator for mutual development of the Republic of France. Being  under the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Finance,  the Interior and Overseas France, it is a commerce and industry state  institution. It struggles against poverty and promotes economic  growth in the developing countries and overseas territories of  France. 

Effective cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the AFD  began in 2012. According to the data published on the website of the  Ministry of Finance of Armenia, as of October 5, 2021, the AFD  portfolio in our country is 125.5 million euros.