On October 5, the ceremonies hall of the Ile-de-France regional council of Paris hosted a reception dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence. The event was organized by the regional council of Ile-de-France and the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France and was held in the presence of RA Ambassador to France Vigen Chitechyan, as reported the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Hayern Aysor.

Among the attendees were several French senators, parliamentarians, mayors, heads of diplomatic missions, leaders of French-Armenian organizations and hundreds of other guests.

The event began with performances by the Navasard Armenian Ensemble, followed by messages dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia.

Congratulating everyone on the 25^th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, president of the Ile-de-France regional council Valérie Pécresse stated that Armenia regained its independence thanks to the courageous spirit and pride of the Armenians. In her speech, Mrs. Pécresse shared her warm memories of her visits to Armenia and stressed the importance of further promotion of the cooperation between Ile-de-France and Yerevan.

Pécresse’s speech was followed by speeches by co-chairs of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France Ara Toranian and Mourad Papazian, and the messages ended with a speech by the event’s organizer, vice-chairman of the Ile-de-France regional council Patrick Karam, who expressed his unconditional support to Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian people.

In his speech addressed to the participants, RA Ambassador to France Vigen Chitechyan expressed gratitude to the Ile-de-France regional council for organizing the event and particularly stated the following: “The history of the Armenian people spans millennia, and it is the history of the struggle for freedom and independence that eventually led to the establishment of the independent Armenia 25 years ago. Twenty-five years ago, the Armenian people regained their sovereignty by fulfilling the centuries-old dream that several generations of Diaspora Armenians had had. The independence of Armenia is a sacred and absolute value that unites all Armenians around the world. By regaining independence, the Armenian people took responsibility for shaping an independent, strong and proud Armenia,” Ambassador Chitechyan said and concluded that it is a responsibility that we Armenians bear with pride.

Highlighting the significant contributions that France makes to the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the French-Armenians for the support that they have been providing since the very first days following Armenia’s independence.