President Macron Pledges to Add Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day to French Calendar

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron attended the annual gala dinner of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France, AFP reported.

The dinner was also attended by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Lyon Mayor Georges Képénékian, Members of Parliament, ethnic Armenian lawmaker Patrick Devedjian, as well as the representatives of the Armenian and Jewish communities of France. Istanbul-Armenian Turkish Parliament member Garo Paylan (HDP) was an honorary guest of the gala dinner.

During his remarks President Macron touched upon a number of issues concerning the Armenian community, including the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“The fight for justice and recognition is our fight. We carry out this fight by remembering and designating a genocide commemoration day in the Republic’s calendar”, Macron said, adding that a decision on this issue will be adopted in the coming months.

As for the relations with Turkey, the French President said he will try to engage Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a regular dialogue: “Sometimes contrary to media desires”. “I have told him everything. Our result in this sense is the release of a number of journalists. There are a lot of well-grounded doubts over dialogue with Turkey, but in my opinion the results show that the message of France is not addressed in emptiness”, Emmanuel Macron said.

The French President warmly welcomed Garo Paylan, stating that his voice is heard sometimes in an unequal atmosphere, but it is much more important than the loud statements of many others.