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Distinguished Mr President,

Dear members of Delegation,

Dear Colleagues,

- On your behalf, Mt President and the delegation led by you I cordially welcome friendly France

in Armenia.

I thank the President of the Senate of the Republic of France Gérard Larcher for accepting my

invitation to take part in the events of the106th anniversary remembrance of the Armenian Genocide and for visiting Armenia with the delegation of large political representation.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the law of 2001 on Armenian Genocide Recognition by France, which was adopted on the initiative of the President Jacque Chirac and passed in the first reading in the Senate of France. I will underline that France was the first state that recognized the Armenian Genocide by law, having an important contribution to the international process of the genocide recognition and to the restoration of the historical justice towards the Armenian people. In this context, today, on April 24, we express our gratitude to the French people for hosting thousands of Armenians, who survived the Genocide and taken the path of immigration and for keeping bright the light towards future.

It is very symbolic that the visit of the President Larcher's delegation to Armenia takes place after the war unleashed against Artsakh and the Armenian people by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey, which resulted in huge human losses and brought forth grave humanitarian consequences for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Thus, we evaluate this visit as a distinct message of solidarity and support from friendly France.

We greatly appreciate the unbiased adherence of principle adopted by France and the solidarity with the Armenian people during the war days. In that context, I would like especially to stress the

historical resolution on the necessity of the recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic adopted by the unprecedented large support of the votes by the Senate of France on 25 November 2020. I will underscore that the Senate of France was the first among the series of parliaments of the world that adopted a resolution with a call to recognize Artsakh, including important and influential messages directed to the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Thus, taking the given advantage, I would like to thank the politicians having a key contribution to the adoption of this unique and important resolution for Armenia, who today have been hosted in this delegation in the National Assembly of Armenia. First of all, I would like to especially thank President Larcher for including the resolution in the agenda of the Senate and for his support shown to it and selfless faithfulness to the Armenian-French friendship.

I express my words of gratitude for the revision of the resolution, shown adherence to the principle for its establishment and their faithfulness to universal human values to the

· Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Christian

Cambon;

· Chairman of the Republicans (Les Republicains) Group Bruno Retailleau;

· Chairman of the Socialists, Ecologists and Republicans Group Patrick Kanner;

· Chairman of the Centrist (Union Centriste) Group Hervé Marsseille

· Chairwoman of the Communists, Republicans, Citizen and Ecologists Group Éliane

Assassi and

· the Chairman of the Ecologists FactionGuillaume Gontard.

The adoption of this resolution, undoubtedly, is of great significance in strengthening of the

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship format, as well as in recognition of the international status of Artsakh as an important warrant of Artsakh Armenians’ security. It is an important sobering message to the international community, as well as aggressor Azerbaijan and Turkey backing it in every way.

We also touched upon with President Larcher and the members of the delegation the issue of

the urgent return of the illegally detained Armenian prisoners of war and the civilians, which remains as a great problem for Armenia. In this issue, the position adopted by Azerbaijan is a most brutal violation of the international humanitarian law and the obligations assumed by the tripartite statement of November 9, which is accompanied by evident manifestations of internationally documented Armenophobia.

We also highlighted with my French colleague and the members of the delegation the urgent

importance of the protection of the historical-cultural heritage of Artsakh. We also separately referred to the Armenian-French inter-parliamentary close cooperation, which is one of the main pillars of the special relations between Armenia and France.

Ending my speech, I once again thank my French colleagues. Today your presence in the National Assembly is the evidence of the friendship between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of France and the citizens. It is the evidence of not only sharing the joy, but also the pain and bitterness and passing together a path.

Thanks you.