ArmInfo.The purpose of the meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on April 5 in Brussels is to provide support to Armenia and unite the efforts of the EU and the US on this issue. Ambassador of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies, stated in an interview with the Public Television of Armenia.
The diplomat recalled that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke about the possibility of organizing such a meeting back in October last year in Bordeaux, and then it was discussed at the summit in Granada. "The purpose of this meeting is also to remind the decisions that were made at a time when Armenia was faced with a flow of over 100,000 forcibly deported refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, and when problems with accepting refugees continue to be significant for the country," the diplomat noted.
When asked what kind of assistance the ambassador meant, Mr Decottignies noted that the meeting is organized by the United States and the European Commission, in which the EU member states, like France, do not participate directly.
"I believe that security issues will not be discussed at the meeting. Regarding security issues, France takes responsibility towards Armenia. In recent months, we have begun cooperation with Armenia in the field of defense, which is developing. The head of the Armenian Ministry of Defense visited Paris, the head of the Armed Forces of France, in turn, visited Yerevan, during the visits we witnessed certain concrete results in the field of provision of equipment and retraining of personnel, which are already underway in the interests of the Armenian army," he said.
Responding to remarks that Azerbaijan and Russia are already criticizing the upcoming April 5 meeting, the French ambassador expressed bewilderment at how aid to a country facing a humanitarian crisis and facing territorial threats could harm territorial security.
"I don't understand this kind of concern. How assistance to Armenia can be directed against Russia, I don't understand this logic," the ambassador asked.
To the presenter's observation that Russia claims that the West is trying to push Moscow out of the South Caucasus with the help of Armenia, and this meeting is also being organized with this intention, Mr Decottignies noted that, according to his observations, in recent years, when Yerevan needed help, Moscow was not in the right place. According to him, the West has come to help and is helping through various means and organizations, which can only be evaluated positively. In response to the presenter's remark that Moscow assures that increasing Western involvement in the region's affairs will only increase tensions, the French diplomat once again drew attention to the fact that neither Russia nor the CSTO came to the aid of Armenia when it needed it. He also added that the peacekeepers of Russia, which acted as the guarantor of the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, did not take any action when Azerbaijan initiated aggression against Artsakh in September 2023.
"They withdrew their forces from the barracks only to disarm the Artsakh authorities, after signing the ceasefire document. Thus, if anyone does not contribute to the security of Armenia, it is Russia," he assured.
At the same time, Mr Decottignies responded with irony to the accusations of spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, that 'all responsibility for the exodus of the population of Artsakh lies with the EU and NATO, which forced Armenia to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, and did not even say a word about the rights and safety of the Artsakh people': "This is the first time that Russia 'obeys the will' of the of Europe or the West. It's surprising; if Zakharova said so, let her also say the following: Russia was the guarantor of the ceasefire regime, and when this regime was violated by the Azerbaijani side, the Russians did not fulfill their obligations as a guarantor to ensure this peace. It was the Russians who were supposed to ensure this peace. As for the refugees, they left Artsakh after a 9-month blockade and a brutal attack," the diplomat recalled. According to him, it was not the Europeans who organized this blockade either did the Europeans carry out this brutal attack.
To clarify whether there really is a consensus between the West and Iran on the issue of the territorial integrity of Armenia, Mr Decottignies recalled that he spoke about the presence of many disagreements between Paris and Tehran, but there is also unity, which lies in common concerns regarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. He added that Iran has repeatedly confirmed its support for the territorial integrity of Armenia and expressed concern about the ongoing processes. "However this concern should be shared by other UN countries as well, since this is spelled out in the UN Charter," the diplomat expressed his conviction.
At the same time, the French diplomat did not give a direct answer to the question of what the West will do in the event of Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia, and whether it would limit itself to statements of concern. The Ambassador recalled that the The West unites quite a large number of states, and he represents France, not the collective West. "As for France, it is ready, within its capabilities, to assist Armenia in protecting its own civilian population, sovereignty and territorial integrity. In other words, do not wait for a new military episode to provide assistance to Armenia," he said, recalling the ongoing interaction between two countries in the defense sector. In this vein, the Ambassador added that France is the first NATO country to begin supplying equipment to Armenia, a CSTO member country. "Cooperation also includes the retraining of military personnel and the assistance of French training instructors in Armenia and France," the French Ambassador said. Regarding the claims about the quality of arms supplied by France to Armenia, Mr Decottignies expressed the conviction that if the supplied French weapons did not have a combat purpose, Azerbaijan would not make claims every time.
"This weapon has a defensive purpose and has proven itself in the market and does not require additional quality confirmation," the diplomat concluded.