"SAINT ARMENIA" EXHIBITION TO OPEN IN LOUVRE WITH PARTICIPATION OF
PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA AND FRANCE
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Robert Kocharian will
leave on four-day official visit for France on February 17. A meeting
of Presidents Robert Kocharian and Jacques Chirac will take place in
Paris. The RA President will also have meetings with Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin, Senate President Christian Poncelet, National
Assembly Speaker Jean-Louis Debre. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the
RA President’s Press Office, Robert Kocharian and First Lady Bella
Kocharian will be present at the "Charles Aznavour and Friends" concert
which will take place in the Opera Garnier of Paris. The concert will
be held within the framework of the Year of Armenia in France. Mr. and
Mrs. Kocharians will also visit Hovh.Aivazovsky’s exhibition organized
at the sea museum, "Armenian 12 Capitals" exhibition as well. The
"Saint Armenia" exhibition will open in Louvre with participation of
the Presidents of Armenia and France. The President will meet in Paris
with representatives of the Armenian community as well. The delegation
headed by Robert Kocharian will leave Paris for Nice where it will
participate in the ceremony of opening the Park of Armenia and will
have meetings with the city administration. Reference: The
Armenian-French mutual relations have had a stable development since
establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Besides, the national-state interests, centuries-old historic-cultural
ties of the two peoples and presence of a big and influential Armenian
community in France became a serious factor for development of mutual
relations. Taking into consideration the weight of France in world and
European processes, the circumstance of its being Co-Chair in the OSCE
Minsk Group, a problem matured to give a new meaning to the
Armenian-French relations and nominate a new agenda of dialogue. Robert
Kocharian’s working visit paid to France on June 30, 2000, became a
start for it. It had its consistent continuation during the state visit
paid on February 12-16, 2001 by RA President Robert Kocharian to France
at the invitation of President Jacques Chirac. An agreement was reached
in April of 2004 between the Presidents of the two countries to
announce the Year of Armenia to France. The state visit paid by
President of France Jacques Chirac to Armenia from September 29 to
October 1 of 2006 had an exclusive meaning in the sense of both future
development of relations and deepening of the EU-Armenia cooperation,
in general, increase of the international prestige of Armenia. The
French President’s visit was an evidence of friendly relations between
the two peoples, the high level of cooperation of the two states, a
close dialogue established among the highest administration. The Year
of Armenia in France, which is entitled "Armenia, My Friend," started
on September 30, 2006 with opening of the French square in Yerevan and
with the "Charles Aznavour and His Friends" concert at the Republic
square with participation of the two countries’ Presidents. France was
the first country in the world which recognized the Armenian Genocide
by the law. The law was signed by President of France Jacques Chirac on
January 18, 2001. The draft law was presented to the National Assembly
of France by the Socialist Party. The draft law envisaging punishment
for denial of the Armenian Genocide was proposed for discussion on the
initiative of the same Socialist Party on May 18, 2006. The National
Assembly of France adopted the draft on October 12. Commercial and
economic relations also actively develop between Armenia and France,
though those are still far from complete usage of the potential the two
sides have. Two French companies, Pernod Ricard and Castel, are among
the big foreign investors in Armenia. The Saur company, the subsidiary
enterprise of the French big Bouygues group won the competition
announced for heading the water supply system of Armenia in June, 2004.
Saur implements the World Bank "Community Water Supply and Drainage"
credit program with the total cost of 23.0 mln U.S. dollars in 37
cities and 268 rural settlements of Armenia (besides Yerevan). Another
French company, "General des Eaux" serves water systems of the city of
Yerevan and neighboring 30 settlements by 10-year tenancy starting from
June 1, 2006. The organization will also implement during 5 years the
World Bank "Water Supply and Drainage of Yerevan" credit program the
total cost of which makes 20.0 mln U.S. dollars. The French Air France
company started regular air transportations by the Paris-Yerevan-Paris
run starting from late March, 2006. In September, 2006, one of the
biggest French banks, Credit Agricole S.A became the biggest
shareholder of the ACBA bank, and the bank was renamed ACBA-CREDIT
AGRICOLE BANK CJSC. The goods circulation between Armenia and France
made 64787.1 thousand U.S. dollars in January-November of 2006, instead
of 39098.9 thousand U.S. dollars of the same period of the previous
year. Owing to the position and merit of French Armenians in different
spheres of public activity as well as from the viewpoint of interest
created towards Armenians by French highest authorities, political
forces and the whole society, the French Armenian community is one of
the most influential centers of Diaspora. This is the biggest Armenian
community of Europe (about 450.000 Armenians) and is one of the most
important communities for its thickness and organization. Armenians
mainly live in Paris and surroundings, in south – Marseilles, central
regions – the cities of Lyons, Valence. Church, educational and
cultural institutions, professional unions, youth, sports and
humanitarian organizations function in France, the number of which
passes 300 at present.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
