22/07/2014 12:20
Armenian Consulate-General opens in Lyons
The Consulate-General of Armenia opened in Lyons on July 21. The opening ceremony was attended by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, Prefect of Rhone-Alpes Jean-Francois Carenco, Mayor of Lyons, Senator Gerard Collomb, Armenian Ambassador to Switzerland Charles Aznavour, French MPs, political, public and art figures, heads of Armenian community organizations in France and numerous reporters, Armenian Foreign Ministry said.
Edward Nalbandyan stressed the importance of opening the consulate general in Lyons, noting that Lyons and Rhone-Alpes play a significant role in Armenian-French relations and the development of multilateral cooperation.
“The first references to Armenians in Lyons are found in medieval literature. Merchants, later also Armenian silk manufacturers settled down and worked in this region,” he noted.
“Thousands of Armenians who survived the Genocide moved to Marseilles and found their Homeland in Lyons, Valence, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne, and so on. They integrated into French society and made their contribution to the development of Rhone-Alpes region and they continue to do it until today. The Armenian churches, monuments, schools, cultural and sports centers in Lyons and Rhone-Alpes bear evidence of the high level of integration of Armenians who also retain their links with Armenia.
In this region, there are hundreds of monuments dedicated to Armenians and the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. I warmly recall the touching opening ceremony of the Armenian Genocide Monument in Lyons in 2006, in which the Lyons mayor also participated,” E. Nalbandyan said.
He thanked officials of Lyons and Rhone-Alpes region, Armenian organizations and citizens of Armenian descent for their continued support and great contribution to the strengthening of Armenian-French friendship.
Congratulating those present on the consulate-general’s opening, Edward Nalbandyan expressed hope that Consul General Nikolai Sarkisov will contribute to the development and deepening of Armenian-French relations.
Speeches were made at the ceremony by Prefect of Rhone-Alpes Jean-Francois Carnco, Lyons Mayor Gerard Collomb who highly appreciated the Armenian authorities’ decision to open a consulate-general in Lyons. They expressed confidence that it will give renewed impetus and quality to decentralized cooperation between France and Armenia.