Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan and France’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad, who is visiting Yerevan, discussed opportunities to expand Armenia–France cooperation in the high-tech sector.

The sides emphasized the historically established friendly ties and high-level political dialogue between Armenia and France, viewing them as a solid foundation for launching new initiatives in technological and economic fields.

Hayrapetyan presented Armenia’s human capital potential, stressing that combining the professional capacities of the two countries—especially in the semiconductor industry, scientific research, and research and development (R&D)—has created broad opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation and contributed to the development of high-value joint products.

The minister highlighted the importance of state policy aimed at positioning Armenia as an attractive platform for leading European, particularly French, technology companies. In this context, he underlined improvements in the business environment and steps taken to encourage the entry of major technology firms into the Armenian market, enabling more effective use of the country’s engineering and scientific-technical potential.

The discussion also touched upon Armenia’s potential to serve as a research platform for French companies at the stages of design, development of innovative solutions, and testing. The parties noted that the involvement of French technology companies has played an important role in Armenia’s economic development, strengthening resilience, diversifying the economy, and advancing European integration.

During the meeting, the importance of high-level mutual visits was also discussed, along with prospects for expanding cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, the semiconductor industry, and cybersecurity. In this context, existing collaborations, including projects with Mistral AI and other companies, and their development prospects were reviewed.

At the end of the meeting, the parties reaffirmed the importance of forming a strategic partnership, emphasizing the need for active dialogue and effective implementation of joint initiatives.