CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN-FRENCH DECENTRALIZED COOPERATION KICKS OFF IN YEREVAN
armradio.am
07.10.2010 13:52
An Armenian-French conference on decentralized cooperation kicked off
in Yerevan today. A 130-member French delegation comprising heads of
25 local self-government bodies of France has arrived in Armenia to
participate in the forum.
Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan, Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian, Mayor of Yerevan Gagik Beglaryan delivered opening remarks.
>From the French side speeches were made by French Ambassador to
Armenia Serge Smessow and Hubert Julien-Laferrière, president of
the French commission organizing the Armenian-French conference on
decentralized cooperation.
French Ambassador Serge Smessow read out the address of the Minister
of Foreign and European Affairs of France Bernard Kouchner to the
participants of the conference.
Greeting the attendees, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
stated: “Our today’s meeting takes me back to October 2006, when
we organized the first conference on Armenian-French decentralized
cooperation at the French Senate within the framework of the Year of
Armenia in France.”
Minister Nalbandian attached importance to the cooperation between
Armenian and French cities as an important component of interstate
relations.
The Armenian Foreign Minister appreciated the fact that more than fifty
programs are being implemented in the fields of education, culture,
tourism, economy, healthcare and agriculture every year within the
framework of the decentralized cooperation between the two countries.
Edward Nalbandian highly appreciated the adoption of the Charter of
Armenian-French Decentralized Cooperation, voicing confidence that
it will become an important mechanism of development of decentralized
cooperation.
From: A. Papazian