Armenia announces Francophonie summit days as non-working

The Armenian government announced October 11 and 12  non-working days because of a Francophonie summit to be hosted by Yerevan.

Armenia'd Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said more than 40 heads of state and government will take part in the summit, "which is unprecedented for Armenia."

He added that for ensuring their security and movement, it will be necessary to close central streets of the capital city for traffic, otherwise there will be obstacles for the movement of citizens and unnecessary traffic jams in the center of the capital. Instead Armenian citizens will be working on the following two Saturdays, ARKA reported.

Secretary General of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vahagn Melikyan, who heads a working group set up to handle the event, said the festive events as part of the summit will start on October 7. 

Delegations from more than 80 countries and organizations, including 25 heads of state, will arrive in Armenia for the summit. 

The summit includes the 105th session of the Permanent Council of Francophonie, the 35th session of the Ministers Council  and the summit of the organization. The event will be wrapped up by a gala concert in  the Republic Square.