Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Paris on Wednesday. But his working visit began in a rather unusual way for an official trip by a head of government.

In the morning, Pashinyan travelled to Paris not on the government plane, but on a regular commercial flight. From the cabin, he recorded a video saying he was heading to Paris for a working visit, where he would meet French President Emmanuel Macron. The footage showed the prime minister travelling alongside passengers in economy class.

Pashinyan’s spokesperson later explained that the government aircraft was undergoing inspections, which was why the prime minister had taken a scheduled commercial flight. During the journey, Pashinyan finished reading Lebanese-American writer Kahlil Gibran’s “The Madman” and decided to give the book to one of his fellow passengers.

The first half of Pashinyan’s Paris visit was almost leisurely.

The Armenian prime minister had some free time in the French capital, which he used to walk along the Champs-Élysées and sample artichokes.

“Free time, Paris, artichokes,” Pashinyan wrote in a caption accompanying a video he posted. He also said that artichokes had recently begun to be cultivated in Armenia and that, in his view, the crop had export potential in France.

The official part of the visit began at around 7 p.m.

In keeping with protocol, the French president welcomed the Armenian prime minister in the courtyard of the Élysée Palace. The two men embraced, walked along the red carpet, climbed the steps to the entrance and shook hands in front of the cameras before going inside the palace.

Pashinyan is in France for a two-day visit. The International Space Summit is taking place in Paris on September 9–10, and the Armenian prime minister is also attending the event.