The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic State Dance Ensemble will participate in the scheduled for July 6-14 Festival of the Ethnographic Dance in the Castle Gombert inMarseille. On the threshold of the festival, on July 2, the dance ensemble appeared on stage in Valence. The event gave rise for the presentation of the book “Artsakh: the Garden of the Armenian Traditions and Art” dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the independence of Artsakh. Historian Claud Mutafyan and the NKR Permanent Representative to France Hovhaness Gevorgyan delivered speeches introducing the rich cultural heritage of Artaskh. Mayor of Valence Alen Moris, who was present at the event, expressed confidence that the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict can only be settled via peace dialogue and on the basis of the principle of self-determination of the peoples. The event was organized by the coordinating committee of the Armenian organizations COADA and on the initiative of the NKR Permanent Representative to France Hovhaness Gevorgyan. On July 3, the NKR State Dance Ensemble gave a concert in Villeurbanne, in the full 700-seater hall of the city’s cultural centre. Before the concert historian Claud Mutafyan and specialist of art history Tigran Kuiumjyan delivered lectures on history and the miniature art of Artsakh. Then mayor of Villeurbanne Jean–Paul Bret, who patronized the event, made a speech. The mayor, in particular, noted that they plan to establish deep cultural relations with Artsakh. The official representatives of the local authority and the Armenian community, as well as the journalists attended the event. The next performance of the NKR State Dance Ensemble will take place in Aix–en-Provence, which is to become a sister city to Stepanakert.

---