ArmInfo.The Days of Francophonie are being held in Yerevan: the highlight of the festivities is the concert program of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, which started on March 9 at the House of Chamber Music named after Komitas.
French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies, at a March 13 press conference in Yerevan, marking the beginning of the Francophonie Days, he noted that these two months will be eventful in terms of the diversity of cultural events.
"Giving importance to the French language and the values of French-speaking cultures, more than thirty events will be held within the framework of the "Days of Francophonie 2024", not only in Yerevan, but also in the regions of Armenia. The program is multi-genre: cinema, music, theater, contemporary art," said the French Ambassador.
At the same time, he emphasized that Armenia is a valuable, active and beloved member of the Francophone family. "Armenia gained such a reputation in the Franconian family thanks to its hard work.
In this regard, I would like to mention Ambassador Christian Ter-Stepanian, who worked tirelessly to promote the values of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), our large Francophone family. Unfortunately, he passed away last fall, and we decided to hold this year's events to dedicate ourselves to this greatest diplomat," noted the French ambassador.
He also highly appreciated the fact that Armenia will take part in the next OIF summit, which will be held in France, this fall.
Swiss Ambassador to Armenia Lukas Rosenkranz noted that Francophonie is not only a language, but also values that are so important and in demand in the modern divided world. "Armenia makes a significant contribution to promoting the values of the OIF, especially if we take into account its size. Armenia, through its involvement, demonstrates openness to the cultures of other states," said the Swiss diplomat.
And Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia Artur Martirosyan, in his welcoming speech, confirmed Armenia's commitment to the values of the OIF. In this regard, he informed that this year 325 educational and cultural institutions will participate in the celebration of the Days of Francophonie. He also pointed to the country's commitment to further popularize the French language. In this regard, he informed that 250 schools in the republic already teach French as a foreign language.
The Armenian official also announced his intention to hold the Francophonie Games in 2027 at a high level. He informed that more than 4,000 athletes from 50 countries are planning to take part in this important event for the sports world. And the head of the department for multi-vector and development of cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia David Knyazyan noted that the Francophonie Games are the largest sporting event that has ever been held in Armenia. He also pointed out the impressive number of events that will be held during these two months across the country. According to him, the event is important from the point of view that this year the Francophone world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the great chansonnier Charles Aznavour. In this vein, he said that the celebration of Aznavour's 100th anniversary is included in the UNESCO calendar of important events for 2024-25.
On March 9, events began in Armenia as part of the Francophonie Days celebration, which will last until the end of April.
Within the framework of these Days, the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, together with the French Embassy/French Institute of Armenia, will present three concert programs (March 9, March 28 and April 27).
The events are organized by the French Embassy and the French Institute of Armenia in partnership with the embassies of other member and observer countries of the International Organization of Francophonie, as well as cultural and educational institutions of Armenia.
The full list of events is available here: https://www.facebook.com/ifarmenie/