Armenia hosting Francophonie Days 

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/