July 4, 2012 - 18:26 AMT
Artsakh state ensemble gives concerts in France

The state dance ensemble of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic will participate in the Festival of the Ethnographic Dance in the Castle Gombert in Marseille to take place July 6-14.

On July 2, the dance ensemble appeared on stage in Valence. The event also included presentation of the book titled “Artsakh: the Garden of the Armenian Traditions and Art” and dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the independence of Artsakh. Historian Claud Mutafian and the NKR Permanent Representative to France Hovhaness Gevorgyan delivered speeches introducing the rich cultural heritage of Artaskh. Mayor of Valence Alain Maurice, who was present at the event, expressed confidence that the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict can only be settled through peaceful dialogue and on the basis of the right of nations to self-determination.

The event was organized by the Coordination Committee of Armenian Associations in France (CCAF) and on the initiative of the NKR Permanent Representative to France Hovhaness Gevorgyan.

On July 3, the ensemble performed in Villeurbanne.

The official representatives of the local government and the Armenian community, as well as journalists attended the event. The next performance will take place in Aix–en-Provence, which is to become a sister city to Stepanakert.