FRANCE:Â"ARMENIA MY FRIEND"
Sept 21, 2006 – July 14, 2007
by Jean Eckian

Paris september 13, 2006

Yesterday, September 12, Philippe Douste Blazy, french Foreign
Minister and Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, Minister to the Culture
and Communication, launched officially the "Year of Armenia" to
the course of press conference in the presence of their armenian
counterparts Hasmik Poghosyan, Minister to the Culture and the Youth
and Vartan Oskanian, Foreign Minister of Armenia. Â" Armenia is close
and faraway, familiar and unknown. This is why this event constituted
a true challenge Â" R. Donnedieu de Vabres said. Opportunity to recall
the intimate and old bonds linking France to Armenia and its people,
and also opportunity to make discover with French people the richness
of the Armenian culture and its 3000 years of History. Thus, more
than 500 artistic events and development of the Armenian heritage
will commemorate the friendship France – Armenia between September
21, 2006 (birthday of the Republic of Armenia) and July 14, 2007
(national day in France since the Revolution of 1789). Important
times of this exemplary testimony of friendship between the two
countries will be marked, september 29 by the visit of the french
President Jacques Chirac to Yerevan (1), with the inauguration of
the "Place of France" and the big Concert of Charles Aznavour, place
of the Republic, accompanied by its guests, of which the singer of
Quebec Linda Demay and the french singer star Patricia Kaas. Lastly,
to conclude this year to the festivities, the operation "Thousand
Ambassadors for Armenia", 1000 children from Armenia will be invited
in France to learn the language of Moliere (french), thus giving to
its true direction to "Armenia my Friend". France invested a budget
of 1,5 million Euros in this event to which are added the financial
participation of many Armenian associations of France.

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