Monday, 12 October 2015
PM Welcomes Secretary General of La Francophonie Michaëlle Jean
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received a delegation headed by Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) Michaëlle Jean who is in Yerevan to attend the 31st ministerial meeting of La Francophonie.
Welcoming the guest, the Prime Minister noted the importance of holding the 31st OIF ministerial meeting in Yerevan and stressed that Armenia appreciates the cooperation with La Francophonie, which is based on shared values, such as linguistic-cultural diversity, French language, as well as the pursuit of peace, development, democracy and human rights in the world.
The Prime Minister noted that as an OIF member since 2012, Armenia is eager to develop and strengthen relations with other member States of the large Francophone family.
Michaëlle Jean thanked the Premier for high-level organization of the 31st OIF ministerial meeting in Armenia and assured that the OIF is interested in deepening and strengthening relations with Armenia. The Secretary General of the OIF provided details of the proceedings and outcome of the ministerial meeting, emphasizing in this context the need for continued cooperation.
Noting that the meeting was held under the motto of “Tolerance in the francophone area,” Michaëlle Jean said it was attended by delegations and observers from 80 member countries. The forum discussed several resolutions, including on the prevention of genocide, tolerance, youth affairs, migration and climate change.
The Prime Minister of Armenia thanked Michaëlle Jean for the special statement made on April 24, 2015 in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, as well as for the visit paid to the Genocide Memorial, which is a manifestation of francophone solidarity.
During their interview, the interlocutors took the opportunity to touch upon the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the OIF’s full support of the OSCE Minsk Group efforts toward that end.
