18:00, 3 October 2009

In Paris, President of Armenia faces protests of his compatriots

On October 2, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, now on his pan-Armenian tour in the context of public consultations on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, met in Paris representatives of Armenian organizations of Europe. In Paris, Sargsyan was met by a mass protest action of his compatriots.

About a thousand persons gathered in the Canada Square in Paris, where Sargsyan laid a wreath to the monument of Komitas, erected in memory of the victims of Armenians' genocide, were shouting "Voch, voch!" (No, no!). Then, a scuffle burst out bbetween the protesters and policemen; some people received slight bodily injuries, as the "ARMENIA Today" writes.

According to the "News-Armenia" Agency, the rally was attended by several dozens protesters, who expressed the opinion that the first step in settling Armenian-Turkish relations should be Turkey's recognition of the genocide.

Today in the morning, Mr Sargsyan has left for New York, where he plans to meet members of the Armenian communities of Canada and eastern coast of the USA. Also, his visits to Los Angeles, Beirut and Rostov-on-Don are planned.