Official welcoming ceremony for Lebanese President held at Presidential Palace

The Presidency hosted today the official welcoming ceremony for President Michel Aoun of the Republic of Lebanon who has arrived in the Republic of Armenia on official visit. At the end of the ceremony, the Presidents of Armenia and Lebanon met in a narrow format.

“Dear Mr. President, I cordially welcome you to the Republic of Armenia. It is a great pleasure and honor for us to host the President of friendly Lebanon in Armenia, and we are eager to deepen multifaceted relationship with Lebanon.

I remember with great warmth my visit to Lebanon back in 2012, which was a strong incentive for the development of our relations. I am sure that your visit will open up a new chapter in our relations. Our interstate relations have only a 25-year history, but our peoples’ friendship has lasted for many centuries. Of course, the Armenian community plays an important role in the furtherance of friendship between our two peoples. We are grateful to the people and leadership of Lebanon for their caring attitude towards our compatriots. They became full-fledged citizens of Lebanon and, at the same time, were able to preserve their ethnic identity. And of course, we are grateful to Lebanon’s authorities, including your parliament, for the recognition of the fact of the Armenian Genocide. This is a crucial contribution. Mr. President, you are welcome to Armenia! I am very glad to welcome you to Yerevan,” President Serzh Sargsyan said.

President Michel Aoun expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic for the invitation and considered it a great honor for him to visit the Republic of Armenia.

“I attended the dinner held in your honor during your visit to Lebanon in 2012, and we had a brief conversation. I am very glad to be in the Republic of Armenia. Yes, my delegation includes representatives of the Armenian community of Lebanon, including the Minister of Tourism and MP Mr. Bagratunyan, the leader of Dashnaktsutyun Party.

Excellency, I must say that the Armenian community has made a great contribution to the development and prosperity of Lebanon. They are working quite seriously in all spheres of activity. We ourselves rely heavily on them in public life.

We are a broad society, and the Armenian community was able to preserve its culture and identity in Lebanon. Of course, we attach great importance to this and we are proud of Lebanon’s pluralism and cultural diversity as we rely on it in our efforts aimed at developing the country.

My visit seeks to strengthen relations between Armenia and Lebanon. We are hopeful that these relations will continue to expand and deepen. There are many spheres in which we can work for the benefit of our two countries,” President Michel Aoun said during the meeting with Serzh Sargsyan.