Yerevan hosts Foreign Ministers' Francophonie conference

 October 10, 2015 - 16:11 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - 31st session of Foreign Ministers' Conference of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) kicked off on Saturday, October 10 in Yerevan, Armenia.

Foreign Ministers of 80 OIF member and observer states were invited to participate in the conference on behalf of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Senegal's Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye, presiding over the Organization, and Michaëlle Jean, La Francophonie Secretary General.

500 representatives of member-states and the OIF Secretariat have arrived in Yerevan to participate in the conference. “This is an exceptional event in our country,” President Serzh Sargsyan said. “The conference is a wonderful chance for all of us to once again honor the Francophone culture.

Unfortunately, Sargsyan said, conflicts and crises pose a threat to the security of some La Francophonie regions and endanger their sustainable development. “It was no accident that the main subject of the Yerevan-hosted conference is “The Peace, Tolerance, Dialogue and Mutual Understanding in the Francophone Space.” We believe that we can avoid a lot of problems through tolerance, while bigotry can result in crises, conflicts and even in genocides, the most serious of crimes against humanity.”

By hosting this conference in Yerevan three years after Armenia’s full-fledged membership, he said, the country wants to reaffirm its devotion to the Organization. “La Francophonie is a culture, mentality and a set of moral values for us,” the President concluded.