ArmInfo.On October 11, the 17th summit of the heads of the countries of Francophone begins its work in Yerevan. It will be the key event of the Francophonie Week, which started in Armenia on October 7.
The summit will be attended by delegations from 83 countries that are members of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), as well as partners and observers of the structure. The event will be attended by 26 heads of state, 2 vice-presidents, 9 prime ministers, 3 vice-premiers. In particular, the participation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Prince of Monaco Albert II is expected.
During the plenary session, the official ceremony of handing over the chairmanship to the OIF from Madagascar to Armenia will be held, Armenia will chair the organization until 2020. Closed meetings will also be held at which full members of the OIF will consider issues on the international agenda. A presentation will be made by the Secretary General of the OIF, Michaelle Jean, the place and date of the next summit will be approved, and the current meeting will be summed up, which will be announced at the final press conference.
The culmination of Francophonie Week will be a gala concert, which will be held on October 11 at the Republic Square in the center of Yerevan. World-famous singer ZAZ, as well as jazz singer Melody Gardot, Angelique Kidjo and Folamour will take part in it. The final part of the gala concert will be dedicated to the memory of the great French chansonnier Charles Aznavour, who died in France on the night of October 1.
Today, on October 11, from early morning, most of the central streets of the capital of Armenia are completely closed. By the decision of the government, the instead of October 11 and 12, Saturdays October 27 and November 3 will be declared working in Armenia. The postponement of working days is due to the need for an efficient organization of the transport movement in Yerevan during the 17th summit of the International Organization of Francophonie. The head of the Police of the Republic of Armenia Valery Osipyan, at a government meeting yesterday, presented information on the streets of the capital which will be closed to traffic during the Francophonie summit. The Prime Minister apologized to his compatriots for the inconvenience caused and called on them to travel by car as rarely as possible and use the metro instead.
"It was repeatedly noted that this is an unprecedentedly large-scale event in the history of our Third Republic, and it is of particular importance. We must hold this event at a high level," said the Prime Minister. Nikol Pashinyan also expressed confidence that the citizens of Armenia will welcome and, if necessary, help the thousands of guests who came from different countries of the world. The head of government instructed the heads of relevant departments to take the necessary steps to ensure a high level of security in the capital. Pashinyan stressed that the Republic of Armenia is fully prepared for the 17th Summit of OIF.