YEREVAN, February 23. /TASS/. Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan stated that cooperation between Armenia and France in the defense sector has far-reaching plans.

"Bilateral military cooperation has been based on precise planning beginning this year and it is expanding in more than a dozen areas with ambitious goals. Our cooperation program encompasses nearly every aspect of the armed forces. The complete advisory support for defense reforms and military education is particularly important," he said at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu.

Papikyan added that cooperation with the French Armed Forces is also progressing in the direction of modernizing the defense systems of the armed forces and developing military-technical cooperation.

He stressed that military cooperation between Yerevan and Paris is not directed against third countries. "As for our neighbors and allies, I can say that our cooperation with France is not directed against third countries. It is our right to cooperate with both France and Iran. France and Iran respect this right of ours, and I think our Russian colleagues should also respect it," Papikyan said.

In turn, Lecornu said that he discussed with Papikyan the supply of air defense missiles of various ranges and other air defense systems.