DISINFO: French bias for Armenia undermines peace efforts in the Caucasus
SUMMARY
Since the early 1990s, France has shown a pro-Armenian stance, including during its role in the OSCE Minsk Group. This bias intensified after the 2020 war, with France increasing military cooperation and supplying arms to Armenia. Steps by France deal a blow to peace initiatives in the region. At a time when negotiations are underway around the peace treaty proposed by Azerbaijan, arming Armenia disrupts the balance of power in the region and strengthens the position of revanchist forces. This not only complicates peace negotiations, but also creates false illusions in the Armenian public. However, the need of the region is not confrontation, but sustainable peace and cooperation.
RESPONSE
A recurring disinformation narrative which advances the pro-Kremlin narrative promoting the false information that the EU or Western countries are against peace in the South Caucasus. In this news piece, this claim is promoted again in the case of France, claiming that France dealt a blow to the peace initiative between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The claim has been made repeatedly, even though it has been thoroughly debunked. There is no evidence to prove the claim.
France supports peace in the South Caucasus. In his tweet regarding the agreement of peace treaty terms between Armenia and Azerbaijan, President Emmanuel Macron wrote:
‘I welcome the announcement of the conclusion of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. There are now no remaining obstacles to the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which should pave the way for a lasting peace in the South Caucasus.’
The French foreign ministry also expressed its pleasure with the last agreement of peace treaty terms, stating that ‘The normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, while respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of both states, should enable the South Caucasus to become an area of peace, integration, and cooperation, with open borders, for the benefit of the region's populations’.
French President Macron has repeatedly expressed his willingness to facilitate peace and enhance communication between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He participated in the talks in Brussels, Prague, and Chisinau involving the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Following the meetings in Prague, President Ilham Aliyev announced that a peace agreement was attainable due to the meeting organised by Charles Michel and Emmanuel Macron.
See more cases such as DISINFO: France is provoking Armenia into war with Azerbaijan, DISINFO: West seeks to turn the South Caucasus into an arena of geopolitical confrontation, and DISINFO: The West does not strive for peace in Armenia and the South Caucasus.