CEREMONY DEDICATED TO 15th ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE OF ARMENIA
HELD IN PARIS

PARIS, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
and the RA delegation members, who are on a working visit in France,
participated on late October 18 in a ceremony dedicated to the
15th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia held in
the Garnier Opera in Paris. Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, the French
Minister of Culture made a speech after the opening speech made by
Edvard Nalbandian, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of Armenia to France. Then the floor was given to the RA Prime
Minister. Mentioning that the Armenian people celebrated with
great lustre the 15th anniversary of the independence of Armenia,
A.Margarian emphasized that the young Republic of Armenia and the
people made great efforts to overcome political, economic, social
and other most difficult problems arisen on the independence way. The
Prime Minister also touched upon the process fixed in the economy of
Armenia after overcoming difficulties of the first years, reforms
aimed to building democracy, free market relations, a legal state,
growth of the country’s defensive capacity. The RA government head
also touched upon in his speech the practical assistance of friendly
countries and first of all, of France, in the issue of recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, mentioning that Armenia observes
it as a preventing factor for similar crimes against the mankind are
never repeated in future. According to the information submitted to
Noyan Tapan by the RA Government’s Information and Public Relations
Department, RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian’s meeting with Paris
Mayor Bertrand Delanoe took place on October 19 during which issues of
mutual interest relating to the bilateral cooperation were discussed.