“There is a saying that relatives are like stars, and they can only be counted at night.” This is how the President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher started his speech during the joint briefing with RA NA Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan.
Larcher continued: “An opaque night fell on Armenia when we decided, leaving aside political differences, to unite and adopt a resolution calling on the French government to recognize Artsakh’s independence. Our visit to Armenia is a continuation of that resolution, which, by the way, was adopted by only one vote against. This is unique because such voting does not happen often. France’s recognition of Artsakh will be a tool to achieve long-lasting peace through negotiations. We are also here with a call for peace.”
The President of the French Senate reminded that 20 years have passed since the adoption of the law on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by France by the decision of President Jacques Chirac. “Living memory is the best bulwark against the repetition of tragic historical pages. Our cooperation is based on mutual trust; trust in the fate of Armenia, trust in the Armenian youth, which was hit hard last autumn. We care about all the dead, the wounded, the captives, their families, because it is not a personal, but a collective tragedy,” he said.
Larcher noted that France also trusts Armenia’s democracy. “In that sense, Armenia occupies a special place in this region. A democracy that has been severely tested and trampled on, but you still stand. We believe in the freedom-loving spirit and nature of the Armenian people. Freedom-seeking, which was also expressed by the French of Armenian origin at a time when France needed to stand up and re-find its freedom,” said the President of the French Senate.
Touching upon the issue of the return of the captives, Larcher mentioned: “Let’s be clear, Azerbaijan is obliged to release the Armenian captives immediately, in accordance with the signed agreement and all international treaties. This issue was discussed at PACE session this week, and one of our partners made that demand in his speech.” According to him, France understands Armenia’s desire to strengthen the Minsk Group chairmanship, and according to him, it is the responsibility of the three countries to make these messages available to the parliaments of the EU member states.
The President of the French Senate spoke about his impression about the ‘Heritage in Danger: Artsakh’ exhibition. “It is frightening to see that after the war such steps are taken to erase the memory of Armenians,” he said. At the Armenian Genocide Memorial, Larcher recalled one of the thoughts of French poet Louis Aragon. “Aragon used to say ‘future and memory’, which are similar words. In what burns, thunders what will happen. This is the fire we want to bring so that Armenia can live and continue to live,” he said.
Larcher expressed hope that the US President will eventually make a decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide. “Let us not forget that the US Senate and House of Representatives have recognized the Armenian Genocide, which shows the important role that the parliaments play, not only in terms of memory, but also in terms of preserving values,” the French official said, adding that a new, expanded cooperation agreement will be signed between Armenia in the near future.
