On February 26, an Armenian khachkar (cross-stone) commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide was unveiled during a ceremony held in the central park of Aix-en-Provence through the combined efforts of the Municipality of Aix-en-Provence and the local Armenian community’s “Hyes Club” organization and with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in France and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Marseilles. The ceremony was followed by a ceremony of blessing and consecration conducted by priests of the Armenian Apostolic and French Catholic Churches, as posted on the Facebook page of the RA Consulate General in Marseilles, according to Hayern Aysor.

Among those attending the event were Deputy Prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône region Serj Guteiron, Mayor of Aix-en-Provence Mariz Joiasan Masini, RA Ambassador to France Vigen Chitechyan, RA Consul in Marseilles Samvel Lalayan, deputy mayors, selected representatives of local self-government bodies, representatives of regional and municipal authorities, leaders of French and Armenian organizations, journalists, as well as several members of the Armenian community and Frenchmen.

In her speech, Mayor of Aix-en-Provence Mariz Joiasan Masini said the purpose of erecting a cross-stone was to keep the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide alive and inform the future generations about the genocide that was perpetrated against the Armenians in 1915. The mayor also mentioned that denial is condemnable and that the Armenian Genocide is an irrefutable fact.

In his speech, president of “Hyes Club” organization Michel Der Kevorkian expressed gratitude to the mayor for the placement of the cross-stone and mentioned the consistent activities that the mayor has carried out for the Armenians.

Ambassador Vigen Chitechyan touched upon the friendly relations between France and Armenia, the effective and large-scale efforts of the Armenian community and the local authorities of Aix-en-Provence, the result of which is the unveiling of a cross-stone dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and mentioned that the presence of any cross-stone, monument and structures commemorating and shedding light on the pages of history are one of the major ways of educating the future generations and commemorating.

The event ended with performances of French and Armenian national music by the Masis Choir.

The local media provided wide coverage of the event.