PanARMENIAN.Net - France “stands firmly” with Armenia “in the face of pressure from Azerbaijan,” French President Emmanuel Macron said late on Wednesday in a speech at the UN General Assembly:
Macron briefly mentioned Armenia in the context of “the all too long list of forgotten wars, unjust victories, poorly negotiated resolutions” of conflicts around the world:
“The international community must be there to ensure that peace negotiations are successful and that internationally recognized borders are preserved,” he said:
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned Macron’s remarks that highlighted France’s close relationship with Armenia. A ministry spokesman said France must end its “unconstructive actions in our region.” He also accused Paris of “heavily arming and preparing Armenia for revanchism.”
Baku earlier denounced French-Armenian defense contracts signed over the past year. They call for the sale of French-manufactured radars, artillery and short-range air-defense systems and armored personnel carriers to the Armenian military. In particular, the latter is reportedly due to receive 36 CAESAR self-propelled howitzers by the end of next year:
Armenian leaders say these and other arms acquisitions are designed to counter a continuing Azerbaijani military buildup. They argue that oil-rich Azerbaijan’s defense budget is more than twice bigger than Armenia’s:
Visiting Yerevan earlier this month, then French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne defended France’s deepening military ties with Armenia. He urged Baku to reciprocate Yerevan’s desire to promptly sign a peace deal that would commit the two South Caucasus nations to recognizing each other’s borders:
Sejourne’s newly appointed successor, Jean-Noel Barrot, called for a “just and lasting peace in the South Caucasus” after talks with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday:
The Armenian Foreign Ministry reported that Mirzoyan and Barrot discussed “joint efforts to deepen [French-Armenian] cooperation” as well as “regional developments.”
“We are moving towards building strategic relations,” the ministry quoted Mirzoyan as saying during the talks:
