President receives delegation led by Mayor of Lyon

President Serzh Sargsyan received a delegation led by Mayor of Lyon Georges Képénékian who is in Yerevan on official visit.

Greeting the guests, the President of Armenia first congratulated Georges Képénékian on his being elected as Mayor of Lyon and wished him every success.

The President noted that the Armenians will consider our compatriot’s achievement in France as their own success for the simple reason that it is an important component of Armenian-French friendship. President Sargsyan emphasized that Mr. Képénékian’s activities can bear evidence to the fact that he is a meritorious citizen of France and a devoted son of the Armenian people.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed confidence that the newly appointed Mayor will draw upon his long experience and capabilities to build closer ties between Lyon and Yerevan and strengthen friendship between the Armenian and French peoples. The President of Armenia took the opportunity to congratulate the Mayor of Lyon on being awarded Yerevan Mayor’s Gold Medal which, according to him, Georges Képénékian has earned for his numerous activities.

Serzh Sargsyan evoked his warm recollections of his visit to Paris just a month ago and his first meeting with President Macron, as well as the trip to Lyon paid early last year and the rich-in-content talks with Gérard Colon, the former Mayor of Lyon and a great friend of the Armenian people.

With reference to the privileged high-level Armenian-French relations, the President underscored that friendship knows no borders, and the two countries are bound to expand cooperation and strengthen their bilateral relationship year after year.

Mayor of Lyon Georges Képénékian thanked the Armenian President for his kind compliments and best wishes. The Mayor noted that he had involved in his delegation experienced professionals from different spheres, hoping to trigger multifaceted cooperation with Armenia in order to open up a new chapter in Yerevan-Lyon interactions and Armenian-French relations.

The Mayor of Lyon spoke with satisfaction about the fruitful meetings held in Yerevan and the agreements reached during his visit. The members of his delegation shared their impressions, stressing that they could see great potential of cooperation with Armenia - the cradle of Christianity – and are confident that strong with huge historical heritage and centuries-old culture, Armenia may challenge the future with greater optimism.

Reference was also made to the Francophonie Summit to be held in Armenia this year. The President of Armenia underscored that our country is committed to holding this landmark event at the highest possible level, since Francophonie is deemed to be not only a platform structured around linguistic or cultural affinities, but first of all, as a progressive system of values that has played a unique role in the development of human civilization, of which the Armenian people is an integral part.