YEREVAN. - President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Sunday held a meeting with the representatives of Club of Madrid and Aurora Prize Selecting Committee at a tea table in the presidential residence.

Among the guests were Club of Madrid members, former president of Tanzania Benjamin Mkapa and former president of Botsvana Festus Mogae, who have been invited to attend the Aurora Prize Ceremony, as well as former president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo, who is a member of Selecting Committee of the Aurora Prize 2017, the press service of the Armenian President’s office informed Armenian News – NEWS.am.

President Sargsyan welcomed the guests in Armenia, noting that their participation in Aurora Prize Ceremony is indicative of the fact that the international reputation of Aurora is growing with each year, its ideology being indeed based on universal human values. Stressing that leading humanity exerts huge efforts for establishing stability, peace and solidarity in the world, the President expressed regret over the fact that currently people still periodically witness mass murders and massacres, propaganda of xenophobia, discrimination based on religious, ethnic and language difference, as well as targeted destruction of cultural heritage.

​“This suggests that it is necessary to give new impetus to the struggle against such crimes and by all means promote the people, who are directly involved in the struggle against such crimes.

We are grateful to you for personally contributing to this universal human struggle through your activity,” Sargsyan said, stressing that both the meeting participants and all the Aurora Prize nominees deserve great respect and admiration, their stories of exclusive courage and selflessness being very exciting, and the same time inspiring and encouraging.

Apart from this, Serzh Sargsyan and representatives of Club of Madrid and Aurora Prize Selecting Committee exchanged ideas on the priorities of the foreign and domestic policy of Armenia, process of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, a number of pressing international issues, the present level of relations between Armenian and international organizations, as well as the prospects for their development.

Furthermore, experienced state, social and political figures invited to the President’s residence shared the experience of reforms implemented in different spheres of their countries

By the end of the meeting, President Sargsyan responded to the questions of interest to the participants.