President Serzh Sargsyan today held a meeting with Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino

President Serzh Sargsyan today held a meeting with Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino.

The Armenian President thanked for the warm reception and noted that every time it is with pleasure that he visits Rome – the Eternal City – where one can witness a rich and inimitable historical-cultural heritage at every step. Serzh Sargsyan said it is symbolic that Armenian culture, too, occupies its unique place in that heritage panorama which, according to him, is no accident because the Armenian and Italian peoples have a rich tradition of historical ties and cooperation. The President noted that it is with pleasure that he recalls his previous visit to Italy when he had a chance to present an old Armenian cross-stone to Rome, as a token of eternal friendship between Armenia and Italy.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed confidence that Yerevan and Rome have great potential for cooperation and expressed the hope that in the near future, legal bases will be established to further develop and deepen ties between the two capitals. The President expressed the hope that the Rome mayor will bring his personal contribution towards that goal. The Armenian President invited Mayor Ignazio Marino to visit Yerevan.

The interlocutors agreed that the decentralized cooperation, which has been expanding year after year, lies at the core of interstate relations. Taking into account the increasing role of decentralized cooperation and public diplomacy in the world, the interlocutors expressed confidence that the intensification of ties between the two capitals will add a new dimension to bilateral ties.

Touching upon the commemorative events marking the Armenian Genocide Centennial, President Serzh Sargsyan noted that he is aware that like in many corners of the world, numerous events devoted to the Armenian Genocide Centennial are being held in Rome and are yet to be held till the end of the year. The President praised the unanimous recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the City Council of Rome in 2000. According to the President, Armenia regards the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by more than 60 Italian provincial and municipal councils both as loyalty to universal values and as a manifestation of solidarity with the Armenian people. In this context, Serzh Sargsyan said it is no accident that there is a memorial plaque honoring the innocent victims of the Armenian Mets Eghern installed in the Eternal City.

At the meeting, the RA President and the Rome mayor also reflected upon the development of humanitarian ties between Armenia and Italy, emphasizing that both countries have a rich cultural history, and it is natural that this area is an important component of Armenian-Italian relations.

The parties also touched upon activities carried of the Armenian community in Italy. The RA President noted, in particular, that owing to the sincere attitude of Italian authorities and the Italian people, throughout history Armenians have managed to achieve great success on the Italian land in the areas of science, arts, sports, business, thereby making their modest contribution to the prosperity of Italy.

Following his meeting with the Rome mayor, President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Vittoriano Museum Complex where he watched the exhibition titled “Armenia: People of the Ark” which displays Armenia’s 3000-year-old history and a number of materials documenting Armenians’ presence in Italy. This exhibition gave a first start to the events marking the Armenian Genocide Centennial in Italy which also contain a special section on the testimonies of that crime.

Today, the RA President also gave an interview to the Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily newspaper, responding to questions related to, inter alia, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the Centennial commemorative events and to Armenian-Italian and Armenia-European Union relations.