France, which has a large Armenian diaspora, has been supporting Armenia for years. It is worth recalling the support of French leaders as an example. In this context, in 2001, French President Jacques Chirac approved the so-called “Armenian genocide” law. In 2011, then French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Turkey to “face its history” regarding the genocide allegations.[1] In 2015, French President François Hollande stated that he “expected a new gesture” [2] from Turkey on the 100th anniversary of the so-called genocide. France’s traditional pro-Armenian policies can be clearly seen through the South Caucasus issues.
The last proof of this support took place on October 3, 2023. In fact, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that the defense needs of Armenia are being investigated. [3] On the same date, France’s Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, who visited Yerevan, announced that they would provide arms and ammunition support to Armenia.[4] Following this decision, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev warned the European Union and stated that France would be responsible in case of a new conflict in the region.[5]
Upon all these developments, President Aliyev announced that Baku would not participate in the negotiations after Turkey’s participation in the meeting in Granada on October 5, 2023, where the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace talks were to be held. [6] The fact that Paris will provide weapons and ammunition support to Yerevan was seen by Baku as a “provocative act that fuels the war.” Arguing that his country’s attitude towards Yerevan is correct and impartial, Macron, on the other hand, blamed the other side by saying that he has no problems with Azerbaijan and that Baku has a problem with international law.[7]
In her speech at the French Senate on October 11, 2023, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne called for “the creation of a real European plan by declaring her support for strengthening cooperation with Yerevan in order to protect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of Armenia’s borders”.[8] After this statement, Azerbaijan-France relations became completely strained.
It would not be correct to consider these moves only as a result of the long-standing France-Armenia alliance. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement in an interview on September 13, 2023 that his country can no longer rely on Russia’s protection [9] is an important development.. In addition, the Armenian Parliament approved the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on October 3, 2023, and accepted that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be arrested during his visit to Yerevan.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Armenia’s decision as “inappropriate for bilateral relations”.[10] The statement made by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on the same date that arms and ammunition support would be provided should not be seen as a coincidence. Armenia continues to distance itself from Russia as Western support grows. In this case, it can be stated that Paris sees the shaken relations between Moscow and Yerevan as an opportunity to become active again in the South Caucasus.
Trying to play the role of a mediator, France is cooperating militarily with Armenia and supplying arms to the country, when it should be neutral. The reason for Azerbaijani President Ilhan Aliyev’s refusal to attend the peace talks on October 5, 2023 was undoubtedly the statements made by French officials in support of Armenia. President Aliyev, who did not attend the meeting where Turkey’s participation was not accepted, did not see the need to discuss the problems of the region with countries far from the region and did not remain silent on France’s pro-Armenian stance.
[1] “Sarkozy’den Türkiye’ye: Tarihle Yüzleş”, BBC News Türkçe, https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler/2011/10/111006_sarkozy_armenia, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[2] “Hollande: Yüzüncü Yılda Ermeni Soykırımı’nın Tanınması İçin Türkiye’den Yeni Bir Jest Bekliyoruz”, T24, https://t24.com.tr/haber/hollande-yuzuncu-yilda-ermeni-soykiriminin-taninmasi-icin-turkiyeden-yeni-bir-jest-bekliyoruz,285337, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[3] “Minister: France Studiеs Defense Needs of Armenia, Issue of Preserving Its Territorial Integrity”, NEWS.am, https://news.am/eng/news/784334.html, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[4] “France Agrees on Future Contracts with Armenia to Deliver Military Aid”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/french-minister-heads-armenia-boost-bilateral-support-2023-10-03/, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[5] “Any New Armenia Conflict Would Be France’s Fault, Azerbaijan’s President Says”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/azerbaijans-president-says-france-will-be-blame-if-new-conflict-starts-with-2023-10-08/, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[6] “Azerbaijan To Not Attend Summit With EU, Armenia, France and Germany at EPC”, Turkey Post English, https://www.turkiyenewspaper.com/politics/16570, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[7] “Macron Says Azerbaijan Has ‘Problem With International Law’, But It’s Not The Time For Sanctions”, France 24, https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20231005-macron-says-not-the-time-to-sanction-azerbaijan-over-nagorno-karabakh-offensive, (Erişim Tarihi: 23.10.2023).
[8] “Séance du 11 octobre 2023,” Sénat, https://www.senat.fr/seances/s202310/s20231011/s20231011002.html, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[9] “We Can’t Rely on Russia to Protect Us Anymore, Armenian PM Says”, Politico, https://www.politico.eu/article/we-cant-rely-russia-protect-us-anymore-nikol-pashinyan-armenia-pm/, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
[10] “Armenia’s Parliament Defies Russia in Vote to Join International Criminal Court”, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/03/armenias-parliament-defies-russia-in-vote-to-join-international-criminal-court, (Erişim Tarihi: 13.10.2023).
