Francophonie Summit offers an Opportunity for the New Armenia to shine on the World Stage
Last week, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan surprised many when he addressed a delegation from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), in perfect French. The envoys, headed by Secretary-General Michaëlle Jean, were in town ahead of the upcoming Francophonie Summit, which is scheduled to be held for the first time in Yerevan in October. The event, which has already received RSVPs from French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among many other high ranking dignitaries, offers a unique chance for this post-Velvet Armenia to shine.
The OIF, which was initially created as a platform to promote the use of the French language and cultural affinities, has since developed its mission to include the promotion of human rights, sustainable development, gender equality, support for entrepreneurship and so on, mostly in the form of technical, financial and political support from the North American and European Members to its African member-states.
Already a subscriber?Log in here
This story is FREE for you...
Create a free account to access this and four more articles, and get more sent to you with our e-newsletter.By submitting your email address you agree for Hairenik Association, Inc. to send you communication by email.
It`s an excellent article which should be translated into Armenian asap and published in Yerevan`s local papers. The Francophonie Summit is at our doorstep, and I hope at least the main streets and cultural centers in Yerevan will raise awareness in the population about this very important event. I would have volunteered to do the translation, but I am afraid I won`t be able to do justice to the Oriental Armenian, which is the language used in Yerevan.
Thank you Raffi Elliott for your article …. So proud of Armenia and the Prime Minister , Nikol Pashinian , for hosting Francophonie Summit , I wish The Prime Minister and the organizing Committee all the best and great success !
We will be following and watching …
as an armenian and having visited my homeland i am certain that red carpet treatment will be afforded to all the representatives, dignitaries and visitors that will assemble for the summitt, the face of the new armenia, its progressive government, its history, its culture, its people and its spirit willbe available for all to see. may the hand of God shine upon my beloved country, its people,its continued growth and potential and upon all attend.
Thank you Raffi for another very informative article. I was so happy to see PM Pashinyan give a fluent speech in French, and I am also proud to be in our “New Armenia”.
Let us not forget though that bringing the Francophonie Summit to Armenia was initiated and achieved by the previous “Regime”. Let us also give them Kudos, just to be fair.
A pedantic correction, but King Leo V does not lie buried in Saint Denis. He had been buried in a Parisian convent after his death, but his remains along with that of the French royalty at Saint Denis and elsewhere were exhumed and scattered during the French Revolution. Their monuments were not destroyed however, and after the revolution calmed down it was decided to make Saint Denis a museum of such royal monuments. Thus, Leo’s tomb monument was moved to Saint Denis as part of this and remains there today, albeit without him.
OIF is a promising channel for the new Armenia opening up to the larger world. Francophone Europe, Québec/Canada, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa … stronger, long-term relations with all these places are quite essential.
Maybe Raffi needs to study Armenian history a bit more more closely. Leo V was not an ethnic Armenian. He was Frenchman that ruled over Armenians, and his short lived rule was disastrous for Cilicia. I guess Armenians love their foreign rulers so much that a failed King Leo V, a Frenchman, is revered as an Armenian and presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan, Armenians, are thought to be Tatars/Turks. You people exhibit typical Armenian style self-destructive behavior that permeates the ages.
Raffi also needs to better understand the mechanisms of geopolitics and international relations. Sorry to burst your “Francophonie” bubble but France was ‘tasked’ with maintaining good relations with Armenia, just as Germany was tasked with to maintaining good relations with Georgia and Britain was tasked with maintaining good relations with Azerbaijan. The aforementioned three Western powers were allocated the countries in question to influence around the time of the fall of the Soviet Union. Naturally, because France had a sizeable Armenian population, France was given Armenia to coax into a Westerly direction.
What I am basically telling you people is put an end to your political illiteracy and self-destructive behavior. Armenia is suffering terribly because of it. Let’s also not forget that France is an imperial power on par with the United States and Britain. France had a direct hand in the destruction of Syria and Libya, which has in turn proliferated Islamic terrorism and killed hundred of thousands of people. France today is also an epicenter of neo-marxist and ultra-liberal degeneracy. In the big picture, the proliferation of Anglo-American and now French influences in Armenia is in fact a sign of Armenia’s civilization/cultural decline.
Learning English/French in Armenia is a gateway to emigration, or working for Western funded NGOs that are currently destroying the country from within. English in particular is a catalyst of globalist, multicultural, liberal, feminist and homosexual propaganda.
The most important language in Armenia, after Armenian of course, has to be Russian. Before you people begin foaming at the mouth because of what I said, just ask yourselves: Who is Armenia’s largest trading partner? The answer is, Russia. Who is Armenia’s largest financial investor? The answer is, Russia. Who is Armenia only supplier of affordable arms? The answer is, Russia. Who is Armenia’s only provider of affordable energy? The answer is, Russia. Where do most of Armenia’s tourists come from? The answer is, Russia. Where is Armenia’s largest and most affluent Diaspora located? The answer is, Russia. Who’s military and economic bloc does Armenia belong to? The answer is, Russia. As you can see, Russian is by far the most important language for Armenians to not merely learn but to master.
In any case, I am sure no one understood anything that I said.
Rest assured that I understood too well what you said. There must be a reason for your deep-seated hatred for all things Armenian. I can’t be bothered to count the number of times you said “You people”. You so lack civility. I pity you.
Raffi is the best
What you are dOing may god continue to bless you in Armenia and in your endeavours
Well done 👏👏👏
Very good article
Lily,
You have to understand norserunt mentality, he is part of “mother Russia” supporters, trained to divide our unity! He acts like an Armenian Oligarch, trained in KGB garrison. Every time he hears of USA or France or… jumps out of his garrison like Rasputin!
Well written article. Thank you Raffi.