President receives delegation of Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly

President Serzh Sargsyan today received the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie which has arrived in Armenia to take part in the conference of the chairpersons of the European regional sections of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie for the European Region.

The Armenian President welcomed the guests and stressed that Armenia attaches great importance to its cooperation with the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF), its partner organizations and the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie. In 2014, the RA National Assembly was granted a full member status of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie by which Armenia reaffirmed its adherence to the values of La Francophonie, as well as its commitment to contributing to their dissemination and reinforcement. The membership provided ample opportunities to popularize French and the culture of La Francophonie in Armenia.

Noting that he was aware of the visit of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex which will become a unique place on April 24 of this year symbolizing the fight against genocides, the President informed the participants of the meeting that that day senior-level officials from numerous countries, including French President Francois Hollande, would join the Armenian people in sending a message of “Never Again” from the hill of Tsitsernakaberd. In that context, President Serzh Sargsyan attached great value to the statement on the Armenian Genocide adopted by the chairpersons of the European regional sections of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie for the European Region at the Yerevan session.

Stressing that this year the two-month Francophonie season is being held in Armenia in the context of the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, President Sargsyan mentioned that the IOF, as an organization standing for protection of human rights and promotion of the noble ideas of solidarity and justice, plays a major role in the fight against such “genocidogen” phenomena as racism, xenophobia and intolerance.

The President also stressed the role of the IOF in promotion of peace and democracy and in protection of human rights and noted that Armenia brings its modest contribution to the maintenance of international peace and stability and is thinking about its possible participation in UN peace-keeping missions in Africa as a part of the French brigade.

The Armenian President expressed satisfaction with the fact that our country’s desire to host the 31st Ministerial Conference of the IOF was positively accepted by its member countries and assured that Armenia will make every effort to organize it at the highest level.

President Serzh Sargsyan also introduced the participants of the meeting to the status of Armenia-European Union relations and their prospects. Serzh Sargsyan underscored that the dynamics of those relations speaks of mutual political will and commitment.

The President also responded to the questions of the representatives of the Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly.