YEREVAN. – President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Saturday received a delegation, led by Mayor Anne Hidalgo of Paris.

Sargsyan noted that he is happy to host Armenia’s friends to Yerevan, the capital city of all Armenians, and who will be attending celebrations marking the 2798th anniversary of Yerevan. He also expressed the hope that Hidalgo’s visit to the city will be productive.

The President stated that Armenian-French relations have gained a new quality and content ever since Armenia’s independence in 1991, and that these relations are now characterized as special. Sargsyan also highly assessed Armenian-French cooperation.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan shared the view that the French-Armenian community has an invaluable contribution to the establishment and development of bilateral relations.

Sargsyan highly appreciated the Paris mayor’s and city hall’s assistance in organizing Armenian Genocide annual commemorations on April 24, and Hidalgo’s visit to Yerevan on April 24 of last year—to attend the genocide centennial events—as a member of the French delegation, led by President François Hollande.

President Serzh Sargsyan also stressed the importance of France’s involvement, as a co-chair country of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, and President Hollande’s personal contribution to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) peace process.