Several diaspora and Artsakh representatives were excluded from the inauguration of Armenia’s new embassy in Paris, prompting strong criticism from the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France.
In a statement issued on April 28, 2026, the CCAF said those excluded from the official ceremony included its co-chairs Ara Toranian and Mourad Papazian, Artsakh’s representative in France Hovannés Guevorguian, and Krikor Khatchatrian.
The organization expressed strong disapproval of the decision, describing it as a regrettable mistake and warning that it undermines the role of the embassy as a unifying institution representing the Armenian state and people in all their diversity.
According to the CCAF, excluding long standing diaspora figures, particularly Toranian and Papazian, who have been closely associated with decades of advocacy for Armenian rights and historical recognition, risks sidelining a significant portion of the organized Armenian community in France.
The statement also raised concern over the exclusion of Bishop Khatchatrian, emphasizing the Armenian Apostolic Church’s enduring role as a central spiritual institution for Armenians worldwide, and noting that the Church has made the current embassy building available to the Armenian state since 1995.
Addressing the omission of Guevorguian, the CCAF said it sends a negative signal regarding the defense of the rights of Armenians displaced from Artsakh, particularly in the aftermath of the forced displacement of the region’s population.
The organization concluded by warning that such decisions risk fostering division rather than unity, and called for clarification through dialogue.
