ARMENIA’S CIVIL SERVANTS TO LEARN FRENCH
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2010 15:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A program aimed at raising Armenian civil servants’
proficiency in the French language was launched on January 18.
The program is implemented in the framework of memorandum of
understanding signed on June 9, 2009 between the International
Organization of la Francophonie, governments of France, Luxembourg
and the French community of Belgium.
As the press office Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported,
the program implemented by the Alliance Francaise-Armenie, will enable
70 civil servants working in ministries, parliament and Yerevan city
administration to learn French.
Alliance Francaise-Armenie is a cultural and educational organization,
operating in Yerevan. Founded in 2002, Alliance Francaise-Armenie
holds French language courses and TCF, TE tests. In addition, Alliance
Francaise-Armenie organizes various exhibitions, conferences and
festivals.
Francophonie is an international organization of polities and
governments with French as the mother or customary language, wherein
a significant proportion of people are francophones (French speakers)
or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language
or culture. Formally known as the Organisation internationale de
la Francophonie (OIF) or the International Organization of the
Francophonie, the organization comprises 56 member states and
governments, 3 associate members, and 14 observers. Francophonie
may also refer, particularly in French, to the global community of
French-speaking peoples, comprising a network of private and public
organizations promoting special ties among all Francophones. The
prerequisite for admission to the Francophonie is not the degree of
French usage in the member countries, but a prevalent presence of
French culture and language in the member country’s identity, usually
stemming from France’s colonial ambitions with other nations in its
history. Few of the member states are majority French-speaking, aside
from France and its overseas possessions. The modern organization was
created in 1970. Its motto is egalite, complementarite, solidarite,
alluding to France’s motto. Started as a small club of northern
French-speaking countries, the Francophonie has since evolved into a
global organization whose numerous branches cooperate with its member
states in the fields of culture, science, economy, justice, and peace.