On October 12, Edward Nalbandian, the Foreign Minister of Armenia, had a meeting with Michaëlle Jean, the Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), who is in Yerevan on an official visit.

Welcoming the guest, Minister Nalbandian characterized the cooperation established between Armenia and the OIF as an exemplary, mentioning that hosting of the OIF Ministerial Conference by Armenia obliged to undertake more active efforts towards the implementation of the goals of the La Francophonie.

Expressing gratitude for organizing the Ministerial Conference on high level, the OIF Secretary General welcomed Armenia’s active diplomacy, which witnesses about the country’s successive efforts to develop relations with other states, to discover the world for Armenia, and to open Armenia for the world.

She commended Armenia’s active involvement in the OIF activities in different directions, mentioning that open policy of the Armenian side creates a solid ground for the development of the international partnership.

At the meeting, the Minister and the Secretary General discussed wide range of issues on the agenda of the Organization, ongoing processes within the francophone region and the steps aimed at the settlement of the issues the OIF faces. Minister Nalbandian once again reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment and readiness to continue close cooperation with relevant institutions of the OIF.

The interlocutors summarized the results of the session of the Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the International Organization of La Francophonie. The two sides stressed the core importance of five resolutions adopted at the end of the session, aimed at the further strengthening and deepening of the cooperation between OIF member-states, with regional and international organizations, as well as the elaboration of solutions towards responding the current and new challenges the humanity faces.

In the context of “Genocide Prevention Resolution” of the La Francophonie, Minister Nalbandian thanked Secretary General for her principled position on the Armenian Genocide. SC Michaëlle Jean, in her turn, mentioned that the pain of the Armenian Genocide is not only the pain of the Armenian people; it is the pain of the whole progressive humanity, which is proved by the visit of the participants of the Ministerial Conference to the Memorial Complex dedicated to the memory of victims of the Armenian Genocide.

At the end of the meeting FM Edward Nalbandian and SG Michaëlle Jean made statements for the representatives of media, during which the Minister of Foreign Affairs awarded Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie the Gold Medal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.