Epress.am News from Armenia
More than 200 Diasporan and local Armenian journalists will be participating in the 5th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists from Oct. 12-16 in the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Stepanakert, under the theme “Challenges of the 21st Century: Information Security and Armenian Journalism,” said RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan in a joint press conference with Marseilles Deputy Mayor Didier Parakian today.
According to Hakobyan, participants will be coming from about 25 countries: “What’s important is that we are organizing the forum in Nagorno-Karabakh, so that our journalists get closely acquainted with Nagorno-Karabakh and they can properly address the Karabakh issue in their future work.”
And from Oct. 17–19, the first Pan-Armenian Forum of Financiers and Bankers will take place in Yerevan, which, according to Hakobyan, will have 100 participants from Armenia and the Diaspora.
Speaking about the benefits of the forum, the minister emphasized the development of friendships, recognition and the exchange of experience.
“If out of 200 journalists, each writes perhaps one article about Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh], we will have 200 articles in the course of a year; this is very important,” stressed the diaspora minister.
Parakian, in turn, noted that he has many goals for his current trip to Armenia, one of which has already been realized: his son Sevan was baptized along the coast of Lake Sevan. Speaking about the official aspect of his visit, he said:
“We have brought with us approximately 20 French businessmen who would like to invest in Armenia. A meeting between French and Armenian businessmen took place yesterday, and they have already come to some agreements,” he said..
In 2010, France, according to the Armenian-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, “is fifth in the list of Armenia’s partners in commodity circulation [trade].”