It is an exciting moment for everyone to attend the opening ceremony of the Office of the Honorary Consul of France in Goris, Armenia, as Goris is a very special city for France. French ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies expressed such a view at the official opening of the aforesaid office on Monday.

“Goris is the crossroads of [Armenia’s] Syunik [Province] for the French. And I believe that Goris is the city in Armenia that has the strongest ties with France, as evidenced by sister cities, brotherhood agreements between communities, as well as cooperation between departments of the two regions [i.e. Syunik Province of Armenia and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France].

We are often asked a question about what a consular office is. This is not a consulate, this is more than a consulate. Why is not a consulate? Because there are not enough French people living here [in Goris] to open a consular office, which mainly serves the administration and such. But this is more than a consular office because there are activities in the honorary consulate, because people in France and Armenia, in Goris, and in Syunik, work hand in hand.

The honorary consulate is a place where French people who are here for various purposes will come, who visit Armenia, who come to help Armenia, and who come to work in Armenia. For 19 years now, those French people who come to Goris to work, to help, and simply to visit, have been visiting the Francophone Center in Goris, and the lifeblood of that center is [its director] Karmen Apunts [who has been appointed Honorary Consul of France in Goris]. Long live Syunik, long live Goris, and long live Armenian-French friendship!" said the French ambassador.