04.05.2025


On May 3, as part of his official visit to Armenia, Mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan, accompanied by members of the Yerevan City Council and Olivier Decottignies, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial.

The delegation was welcomed by Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, who guided them to the memorial and presented the history of its creation. She also addressed the three khachkars (cross-stones) placed in memory of the Armenians who were victims of massacres organized by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the last century. She emphasized the connection between these atrocities and the Armenian Genocide.

Mayor Payan laid a wreath at the monument commemorating the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. The guests then placed flowers at the Eternal Flame and observed a moment of silence in honor of the innocent martyrs.

The French delegation also toured the Armenian Genocide Museum, where, guided by museum guide Hasmik Martirosyan, they were introduced to both the permanent and temporary exhibitions. After the tour, Mayor Benoît Payan wrote a note in the Guest Book of Honor.

As a token of appreciation for the visit, Edita Gzoyan presented the honored guest with books about the Armenian Genocide. At the conclusion of the visit, Mayor Payan also visited the Memory Park, where he planted a silver fir tree in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Photos by Max Sivaslian