EU's ongoing military support to Armenia A new tranche on the horizon

Azerbaijani media has already reported, citing the APA news agency (which, in turn, refers to reliable sources), that the European Union is planning to allocate a new tranche from the European Peace Facility to Armenia in the near future to enhance the country’s defence capabilities. Preliminary agreements have already been reached regarding the allocation of funds. "There is no doubt that this money will be used to arm Armenia," a source from the agency revealed.

Notably, in 2024, the European Union already allocated a tranche from the European Peace Facility to Armenia: on July 22, the EU Council decided to provide Armenia with military aid in the amount of 10 million euros.

It should be clarified that the assistance may not necessarily be directly allocated for the purchase of weapons, but at a minimum, it will free up funds in Armenia's budget for military purposes.

Assistance through the European Peace Facility became possible after a meeting in Brussels in April of the previous year, involving representatives from Armenia, the U.S., and the EU. The mere fact of holding the meeting appeared to be a protest, as both the EU and the Biden administration had repeatedly emphasized their commitment to neutrality regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement. The undisclosed Brussels agreements, which included a military component, clearly exposed the double standards that have become the defining characteristic of Western policy.

Yes, unfortunately, the European Union, which is undergoing a serious systemic crisis, particularly in terms of its own military security, continues to demonstrate remarkable consistency and principle when it comes to military support for Armenia. France has always been the main instigator of this entire story and continues to be. The French ambassador in Yerevan, Olivier Decottignies, recently stated in an interview with the Armenian Public Radio: "By 2025, it will have three main directions. The first is the provision of defence equipment to Armenia. France, by the way, is the only Western country that provides defence equipment to Armenia; we hope that other countries will follow us. The second direction is the training of Armenian military personnel—both in Armenia and in France. The third direction is the advisory services being provided to the Armenian Ministry of Defense, which will enable to improve and strengthen the Armenian army."

In other words, the French openly declare that they have taken the lead over Armenia's armed forces. As an example of how the French view the situation, let’s quote the final passage from the interview with the French ambassador: "In September 2023, Russian soldiers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh for peacekeeping purposes took no action when Azerbaijan began its offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh. They only intervened after the fighting had ended to disarm the local authorities’ forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. Therefore, it can be stated that every time Armenia needed Russia’s support in critical moments in recent years, Russia left Armenia to fend for itself. This is why Armenia seeks to diversify its partnerships, turning to Greece, France, and India."

It doesn’t take much effort to notice that the French ambassador questions the legitimate measures taken by Azerbaijan that put an end to the occupation and separatism.

In summary, through the words of the ambassador, Paris is essentially admitting to taking on the mission of preparing the Armenian army for armed revenge.

Azerbaijan sees everything, records everything, and is prepared for anything. But is the EU ready for the consequences of what it is about to "stir up" here? As mentioned earlier, the European Union is experiencing a serious systemic, if not existential, crisis. Europe, once confident in its unwavering American support, now finds itself face-to-face with the threat of lacking basic resources for its own defence, following Trump's return and his conditions regarding NATO and Ukraine funding. The Ukrainian crisis has served as a kind of resilience test, yet the first desperate actions of Europeans show that they are incapable of offering significant help to Ukraine. In light of the Ukrainian crisis, the infusion of military resources into Armenia may seem relatively inconsequential to Europeans, but still valuable enough for them not to abandon.

The problem is that once Armenia, incited by Paris and Brussels, embarks on an armed provocation and once again receives a crushing blow, Europe’s image will be forever buried in its most loyal corner of the world – the "Land of Stones."