November 09, 2013 | 14:24
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Mayor of Marseille, France, Senator Jean-Claude Gaudin, on Friday officially opened the Consulate General of Armenia in Marseille.
Delivering welcoming remarks at the event, Nalbandian underscored the founding of this consulate, and stressed that Marseille has a special importance for the Armenian people.
“The presence of Armenians in Marseille had started in the early Middle Ages. Marseille [also] became the first French town that hosted thousands of survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
“Today, Marseille attests to the high level of the Armenians’ integration, but, at the same time, to their connection with the homeland.
“I would like to thank the Marseille Armenians for the continuous support and the important contribution to the strengthening of Armenian-French friendship,” the minister specifically noted.
Nalbandian also expressed a conviction that the consulate general will greatly contribute to the development of Armenian-French relations.
For his part, Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin stressed that it is a great honor for him to attend the opening of Armenia’s first consulate general in France, since he has the warmest feelings toward the Armenian people and he is an advocate of the development of cooperation with Armenia.
The mayor of Marseille also expressed confidence that the activities of the Consulate General of Armenia in Marseille will further boost the deepening of Armenian-French relations.
The Armenian consulate general’s official opening, which was broadcast live on local television, was widely covered by the media.