It is important to reaffirm our support to the fight against terrorism. The Turkish military invasion in our region — in northeast Syria — has sparked deep concern and has caused a serious humanitarian crisis, as well as risks to help reinstate ISIS, along with all the potential negative consequences. This is what Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said in his speech at the Francophonie Ministerial Conference.
The speech particularly reads as follows:
“Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco,
Mrs. Secretary-General,
Excellencies, dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am happy to be here today, in this Francophone environment that has become so close to my heart. First and foremost, I would like to express gratitude to my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco, for the cordial reception at the 36th Francophonie Ministerial Conference.
Over a year has passed since the Francophonie Summit in Yerevan, but we still remember those wonderful days. We set challenges, and those challenges remain. Peace, solidarity and the fundamental values that we all share, remain a part of our common heritage and the key to the solution to the problems facing us.
Without our consolidation for the sake of peace and against the threats of extremism and terrorism, the catastrophe will continue to serve its goal. It is important to reaffirm our support to the fight against terrorism. The Turkish military invasion in our region — in northeast Syria — has sparked deep concern and has caused a serious humanitarian crisis, as well as risks to help reinstate ISIS, along with all the potential negative consequences.
Realizing that the advancement of innovation and new technologies in the Francophone territory must remain at the core of our agenda, Armenia’s chairmanship has submitted a draft resolution, highlighting the fact that the development and dissemination of technologies must serve for the benefit of our nations, especially women and young people.
Mrs. Secretary-General, it is thanks to the principle of solidarity established by you that we are all expressing our support to Haiti today.
After all, there are humanitarian values, a culture of dialogue, principles of equality of women and men, tolerance and mutual respect that shape Francophonie, and without which we can’t live together. All this is completely reflected in the velvet revolution that took place in Armenia. Maintenance of all this requires our constant alertness, and they are continuously promoted.
We believe in the universality of human rights and that the protection of human rights must refer to everyone, all mankind. Thus, we are certain that, in the case of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, human rights protection must be ensured, including the economic and social rights of the people of Artsakh. The people of Artsakh have the right to control their own destiny and build a better future for the generations to come.
We are thankful to you, Mrs. Secretary-General for having assumed advancement of equal rights of women and men, laying the foundation for the development of education.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco,
Mrs. Secretary-General,
Your Excellencies, dear colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Summing up, I must touch upon the anniversary events to be held in 2020. We will participate in the Summit marking the 50th anniversary of the International Organization of La Francophonie in Tunisia.
Armenia’s chairmanship expresses its full support to you in regard to the Summit and in your efforts to modernize the organization.
We are also aware of the whole responsibility of the Tunisian authorities to organize the upcoming Summit.
I wish them success and assure them that we will support them and are willing to share the experience of Armenia’s chairmanship and work together to achieve success during the 50th Summit.”
