44th General Assembly of ACFOA Drôme–Ardèche in Valence – January 24, 2026
Grigor Amirzayan
The Association of Former French Servicemen of Armenian Origin of Drôme–Ardèche (ACFOA) held its 44th General Assembly on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the restaurant of the Armenian Cultural House of Valence (Maison de la Culture Arménienne – MCA), located at 2 bis, rue de la Manutention, Valence.
Invited to attend the assembly were Armenag Aprahamian,the President of Western Armenia, as well as Ara Nourian, the head of the Valence branch of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation of France.
In addition to members of ACFOA Drôme–Ardèche, those present included Martiros Chakoyan (Member of the Parliament of Western Armenia), Zadig Dayl and Silva Chakirjian (representatives of Western Armenia), Vrej Aprahamian (the President of the Union of Former Armenian Servicemen of the French Riviera and Member of Parliament of Western Armenia), as well as Vardkes Simonian (Armenia Association).
Representing ACFOA Drôme–Ardèche, under the leadership of President Georges Eretzian, were Vice Presidents Georges Kouyumjian, Khosrov Iliozer, and Grigor Amirzayan, along with Jean-Claude Sarkissian, Gilbert Terzian, Roupen Kallaidjian, and Bernard Doumeng.
In his opening remarks, President Georges Eretzian thanked the Armenian Cultural House of Valence for its warm hospitality. Grigor Amirzayan then presented a brief overview of the current situation in Armenia. Armenag Aprahamian continued on the same theme, outlining the steps undertaken by Western Armenia before international legal bodies to defend the rights of the Armenian people and to seek recognition as an indigenous people of the territory of Armenia.
Georges Eretzian represented the moral and financial reports for 2025, which were unanimously approved by the assembly. He also addressed the commemorative events marking the 110th anniversary of the Genocide committed against Armenians on April 24, 2025, in Valence, Bourg-lès-Valence, and other cities in France, and presented the preparatory work for the upcoming events marking the 111th anniversary of the Genocide committed against Armenians.
Grigor Amirzayan, Co-Chair of the April 24 Committee (C24) of Drôme–Ardèche and President of the Armenia Association, spoke about the situation in Armenia and Artsakh following the aggression carried out by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey in 2020 and 2023.
Discussions followed on recent developments in Armenia and France, particularly in the context of the reorganization of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF).
This was followed by the renewal of the ACFOA executive board.
New Executive Board of ACFOA
- Honorary President: Armenag Aprahamian
- President: Georges Eretzian
- Vice Presidents: Grigor Kizarjian, Claude Vartabedian, Georges Kouyumjian, Grigor Amirzayan, Khosrov Iliozer
- Secretary: Georges Kouyumjian
- Treasurer: Roger Emirdjian
- Deputy Treasurer: Georges Hovanesyan
- Flag Bearer: Jean-Claude Sarkissian
The executive board of the National Federation of Former French Servicemen of Armenian Origin in France (FNACFOA) was also renewed.
Elected Executive Board of FNACFOA
- President: Georges Eretzian
- Vice Presidents: Grigor Kizarjian, Georges Kouyumjian, Khosrov Iliozer
- Secretary: Grigor Amirzayan
- Treasurer: Roger Emirdjian
- Flag Bearer: Jean-Claude Sarkissian
Address of ACFOA and FNACFOA:
40, rue Maurice Chevalier, Valence
At the conclusion of the General Assembly, Armenag Aprahamian presented the “Sword of Armenia” medal to ACFOA Vice President Georges Kouyumjian.
During the award ceremony, President Georges Eretzian presented the biographical background of Georges Kouyumjian. He was born on May 6, 1938, in the town of Saillans (Drôme). His mother was originally from Yozgat, in the Vilayet of Angora in the Ottoman Empire, and his father was from the Vilayet of Erzurum, who voluntarily enlisted in the army in 1939.
On April 4, 1964, in Valence, he married Colette. He is the father of three children—Anna, David, and Stéphane—and has eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. From 1970 to 2017, Georges Kouyumjian lived with his wife in Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), working at the Pierrelatte nuclear facility. In 2017, he returned to Valence. He retired in 1998.
In May 1958, he was conscripted into the 6th Alpine Chasseurs Battalion (6e B.C.A.) stationed in Grenoble. After two years of compulsory military service and four months of specialized training in communications, he served for 22 months in Algeria with the same battalion, in the Tizi Ouzou region of Greater Kabylia. From November 1958 to August 1960, he served as a grenadier-assault soldier in the 2nd Company at Iferhounène, with the battalion command post located in Michelet.
Georges Kouyumjian served as Vice President of ACFOA from 2014 to 2026, a total of 12 years. Since 2024, he has assumed the duties of Secretary following the resignation of Roger Emirdjian for health reasons. He has been Vice President of FNACFOA since 2017. FNACFOA was founded in 1917 and was led for many years by André Séfèrian (Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine). Georges Kouyumjian has been a member of the FNACA committee of Drôme for over 20 years and, since 2017, Deputy Secretary of the FNACA committee of Valence. In 2025, he was awarded the FNACA Certificate of Honor.
Grigor Amirzayan