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On July 16 the Press Conference of the RA NA Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF) took place. Head of the Delegation Margarit Yesayan informed that they had taken part in the works of the 40^th jubilee session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF) in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, on July 4-8 with deputies Mnatsakan Mnatsakanyan and Armen Rustamyan.

Mrs. Yesayan noted that 78 states take part in the Assembly’s works each year, only 49 of them are full members. Armenia has been participating in the Francophonie PA as an observer since 2004 and as an associated member since 2009.

Margarit Yesayan joyfully documented that on July 7 at the APF Plenary Session the RA NA Delegation was officially announced as a full member. Touching upon the membership process, Margarit Yesayan mentioned that back on January 17, 2014 the RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan addressed to the APF General Secretary for granting the RA National Assembly a full member status. And in Fabruary 2014 at the APF Bureau Sitting in Rabat the application for the APF full member status was considered and endorsed. Mrs. Yesayan stated that the full membership in the Francophonie PA will create new opportunities for Armenia to raise the issue of the Armenian Genocide recognition in the international structures and to communicate with francophone states on the same plane. In her capacity as Head of the NA Delegation, Margarit Yesayan delivered an appreciation speech at the APF Sitting, highlighting the deepening of the RA NA and APF ties and cooperation development.    

In the framework of the 40^th Session in the conversation with APF Secretary General Pascal Terrasse the RA NA Delegation Head reaffirmed the RA National Assembly’s readiness to conduct a sitting of APF Bureau or one of its Commissions in 2015 in Yerevan, about which the RA NA President Galust Sahakyan informed the APF General Secretary by letter on May 29, 2014. Mr. Pascal Terrasse promised to meet the RA National Assembly’s willingness.

Mnatsakan Mnatsakanyan, the RA NA Delegation member to the APF, spotlighted the RA NA full membership to the Assembly and stated that the APF is an important platform to present issues of our concern to the international community. Mr. Mnatsakanyan mentioned that he had taken part in the sitting of the Cooperation and Development Commission, during which themes on the Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie to be held in November were discussed.

Margarit Yesayan took part in the Sitting of the Political Commission at which political issues within the territory of La Francophonie were touched upon, reports on democracy, accessibility to justice were presented.

The delegates told also about the meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community in Ottawa, during which the deputies talked to the Armenian Canadians on issues concerning Armenia's inner-political, social-economic life.