Tuesday, April 24, 2012, at 9:45 AM at the Jardin d’Arménie -1, Promenade des Anglais
For a long time, the City of Nice has maintained relations with Armenia based on common values of democracy, humanism, and solidarity. A strong bond of friendship and cooperation has been forged between Nice and Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, sealed by a twinning agreement in 2007.
France publicly and officially recognized the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in a declarative law on January 29, 2001.
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, will attend, with Annie Kassighian, Municipal Councilor sub-delegated for population services and elections, the tribute to the victims of this genocide and to Armenian-origin fighters and resistors during a commemoration that will begin at 9:45 AM at the Jardin d’Arménie in Nice.
This ceremony will proceed as follows:
10:00 AM > Departure of the procession and remembrance march to the Monument aux Morts.
10:30 AM > At the Monument aux Morts, commemorative speech, laying of wreaths and bouquets of flowers by children from Armenian schools, and a prayer pronounced in memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide by Father Krikor Khachatryan.
France, which has nearly 500,000 people of Armenian origin, is one of the first countries where the Armenian diaspora sought refuge, particularly since the 1920s. Today, approximately 5,000 people make up the Armenian community in Nice and its surroundings, and their contribution to local economic and cultural influence is indisputable.
