Question: Mr. Minister, how do you rate the first day of work of the ministerial conference? After the revolution, there were fears that changes in personnel would hinder Armenia’s ability to properly organize the event.

Mnatsakanyan: You know, I’ve had a number of opportunities to discuss this issue. I am very proud that, among other things, this demonstrates our nation’s abilities. Despite domestic political developments, there remained the political will to organize the Francophonie summit to the best of our abilities. In May, one of the new government’s first decisions was to task Deputy Prime Minister Avinyan with focusing the efforts of the bureaucracy on organizing this event amid a total reorganization of the state apparatus. The abilities of our state are being demonstrated today: we are capable of accomplishing all of this and organizing an international summit on such a large scale in Armenia.

Question: Francophonie is a platform where Azerbaijan is not represented. On the other hand, we have an opportunity to develop bilateral relations with many African nations in order to better resolve issues of great importance to us. Are there any countries that you plan on establishing diplomatic relations with within the framework of this summit?

Mnatsakanyan: The African direction indeed interests us and is important for our country. Of course, there are many other platforms for this, such as the United Nations, however, the areas of collaboration and the spirit of cooperation here are very useful for utilizing this platform as a means of making Armenia more recognizable in Africa and discovering new opportunities in the region. We can use our abilities and our economy to penetrate the African market, while simultaneously attracting the interest of Africans towards the Armenian market. This is a very significant direction for us and one of our top priorities is using this platform to increase our presence in Africa and exhibit more activity through direct representation in capitals as well as working with all the countries of Africa through the African Union.

Question: Which countries will Armenia establish diplomatic relations with during this summit?

Mnatsakanyan: As far as I can remember, we already have diplomatic relations with most African nations. It is possible that there is a small number of nations with whom we do not have diplomatic relations. In principle, we have diplomatic relations with virtually all African countries. However, having diplomatic relations is one thing. It is an entirely different thing to extend collaboration and expand the areas of cooperation between nations. I have a great desire to make the African continent more accessible and attractive for our country.

Question: Mr. Minister, have there been cases of countries applying for membership [in Francophonie] and being rejected?

Mnatsakanyan: Those decisions must be made by heads of government throughout the course of the summit. This is the ministerial conference, the summit will take place in two days and decisions to expand the membership of the organization will be made then. However, no full members will be added, only observer and associate countries.

Question: Does Armenia have issues with any current membership applications?

Mnatsakanyan: Armenia does not have issues with anyone.

Question: Do you plan on engaging in bilateral discussions with participating countries outside of the summit?

Mnatsakanyan: Yes. I myself have a number of meetings with my colleagues scheduled for the next two days. Besides that, as you know, there will be a number of visits from heads of state and government which will serve as opportunities for holding bilateral meetings. This facility is equipped with all the necessities for holding these meetings. And, as with all other multilateral events, countries will use this opportunity to discuss bilateral agendas with one another. This is thus not unusual  and I myself have a list of meetings I will be attending.

Question: Mr. Minister, as the meetings are primarily closed, the media does not have information regarding the contents of the discussions. Could you outline some issues of importance to Armenia that will be discussed during the course of these sessions?

Mnatsakanyan: We already started this morning with general discussions and what I found most important and inspiring is the fact that there is a common desire to use La Francophonie to explore new horizons of cooperation and that the French language, as I have mentioned, is being used as a tool to unite these countries. This desire for unity among the member states naturally underscores the necessity for expanding the agenda for cooperation through the secretariat. As the presiding country, we already have a goal for the upcoming two years--both during and after the summit--of expanding and lending substance to economic cooperation within the framework of La Francophonie, especially in the sphere of new technologies. In this regard, one of the key results of this summit will involve the creation of a Francophone network of ministers responsible for digital economies. This is a concrete product of this summit. However, this network will remain but a network unless we are able to utilize it to produce specific instances of cooperation. This is the challenge we face and our goal is to produce these instances.

Questions: Do you have similar expectations for the economic forum?

Mnatsakanyan: Yes. However, one forum alone will not resolve all issues. The forum can be an effective platform, a good starting point for cooperation and I hope throughout the two years of our presidency we will be able to give the next presiding country a concrete agenda based on which we will be able to further expand cooperation in the future.

Question: Mr. Minister, will the Karabakh conflict be mentioned in the resolution?

Mnatsakanyan: There will be 6 resolutions, one of which will relate to similar political issues. The conflict will be mentioned there.