On November 26, in Paris, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian assumed the Presidency of the Ministerial Conference of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, which unites 84 member, associate and observer states and governments.
During the solemn ceremony that took place at the end of the Conference, the Foreign Minister of Madagascar Henry Rabary Njaka passed the Presidency of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie to the Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
In his speech during the transfer of the Presidency, Minister Nalbandian said:
“Dear Mme Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,
At this moment, when Armenia is assuming the Presidency of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie, I feel proud for this honour bestowed upon Armenia.
Once again, I would like to express deep gratitude to the heads of states and governments of La Francophonie for trusting our country to hold the XVII Summit of La Francophonie.
Dear Mme Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,
We are aware of the immense work that awaits us. First of all, it is necessary to ensure the success of the Summit, in organisational terms. In this regard, we look forward to working closely with the Madagascar Presidency, with you, Mme Secretary General, as well as with member states and governments of La Francophonie.
I would like to warmly thank my colleague from Madagascar. From now on, Armenia and Madagascar are connected by both historical and symbolic ties.
Dear Colleague,
You assumed the Presidency of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie in Armenia and now you are transferring that Presidency to Armenia, not to mention that it was in Antananarivo that a decision was made to hold the next Summit of La Francophonie in Yerevan.
We also intend work in a joint and constant manner with Tunisia, to which Armenia will pass the honour and privilege of organizing the next Summit of our Organization.
Dear Mme. Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,
This is how we perceive the cooperation within our francophone family. We intend to work jointly with you and everyone to ensure the success of the Summit in Yerevan, as the success of this Summit is the collective success of all of us, the overall success of our francophone family.
Thank you.
Thus, I declare the 34th Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie closed.’’
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, President of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie Edward Nalbandian, Secretary General of La Francophonie Michaëlle Jean, Foreign Minister of Madagascar Henry Rabary Njaka and Secretary of State for European and Francophone Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne held a joint press conference on the outcomes of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie.