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The Armenian capital of Yerevan is hosting the 17th Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) from 11 to 12 October, with the event expected to bring together delegations from some 84 countries, many of which have no embassies in Armenia and will discover the country for the first time, French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte told reporters on Friday.

With the events of the summit starting on 7 October, Yerevan will be at the centre of the Francophonie for one week. The envoy detailed French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Yerevan to attend the OIF summit, which will be preceded by his official visit to the country.     

Lacôte, however, said the exact date for the French leader’s Yerevan visit is not set yet. “Macron’s visit features a very intensive agenda for Armenia and France. But the Francophonie summit is not only a meeting of the countries’ leaders, but also a holiday. France wants to introduce the French languages with all its elements,” he stressed.

A Francophonie Village will be organized in downtown Yerevan as part of La Francophonie summit from 7 to 12 October, featuring pavilions of 20 countries, including that of France. Belgium, Switzerland and African countries will also have pavilions that will be open to not only Armenians, but also thousands of foreign guests that Armenia will be handling at that time.

“The message to be conveyed through the pavilion is that French is a language of opportunities. French is not only the language of France, but also all the 84 member states of the International Organization of La Francophonie, spoken by some 280 million people in five continents. French is one of the two languages spoken in all the continents,” the French diplomat said.   

The pavilion of France in the Francophonie Village will be targeting different segments of the society, featuring numerous economic, cultural, media, technological and educational events.