French associate professor says Armenia has no value for Europe

Associate Professor Raffi-Philippe Kalfayan, an international law specialist, lawyer, and associate professor of international law at Panthéon-Assas University in Paris, recently shared his views on Armenia's relationship with Europe during an interview with Armenian media.

Kalfayan says Armenia has been attempting to gain visa-free access to Europe for years, but has yet to succeed, Caliber.Az quotes him as saying.

He says the current "honeymoon" between Armenia and Europe is not warranted, as Armenians have not been granted visa liberalisation. He states that Armenia has no significant value for Europe militarily, politically, or economically. Armenia is a small market with a population of only 2-2.5 million people, and it lacks essential natural resources. Therefore, Europe will not gain any significant benefit from establishing favourable military-political relations with Armenia.

Compared to Macron's speeches, the European Union is much more serious. Kalfayan states that Macron, as a Western leader, is trying to fight against Russia and wants to lead a war against it. He proposes some provocative ideas in this regard.

The expert expresses concern regarding the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and his ability to maintain a stable stance on the international stage. He cites Macron's previous actions in Lebanon and his recent strong words regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as examples of his instability. The author believes that Macron is intelligent but cannot inspire confidence, and therefore his political decisions may not be supported by the French public or other French officials.

The pundit then discusses France's reluctance to cooperate with Armenia on military matters due to their close ties with Russia. However, the expert believes that it is possible to develop a new military doctrine that would allow for strategic relations between France and Armenia without jeopardizing their relationship with Russia. He claims that the French were concerned that if they put some high technologies in Armenia, they might leak to Russia.

"In my opinion, the statements of some Armenian officials, in particular, the Secretary of the Security Council, had exactly this goal: to assure the West that we are ready to have long-term strategic relations with you," he said.

The expert believes that relying on the West to solve Armenia's problems is not a wise approach. France does not possess enough financial resources and advanced technology to assist Armenia in its current situation. For instance, France is struggling to defend itself against drone attacks due to the lack of effective weapons. Currently, we depend heavily on foreign technologies. Moreover, the use of Rafale fighter jets is limited in smaller regions like the Caucasus, as these jets can easily cross national borders and enter Turkish airspace during takeoff due to their wide range. The matter at hand is quite complicated. It is doubtful whether France's existing weapons can be used effectively in Armenian territory. In addition, it is uncertain whether France can provide Armenia with the necessary weapons, and compatibility between Armenia's current and desired equipment also needs to be taken into account.

The pundit mentioned that Armenia purchases weapons from various countries such as France, India, and Russia, and there is a possibility that other countries like Iran will also sell weapons to Armenia. Recently, the Armenian Defence Minister visited Iran, and Iran has some powerful weapons, especially drones. However, having different types of weapons is not enough; they should be able to coordinate with each other and work together efficiently. Armenia needs to develop a system to ensure that military units can work with different weapons and coordinate effectively.

Furthermore, Kalafyan believes that Armenia's provocative statements against Russia are dangerous and not useful. The pundit apologizes for expressing this opinion as a French citizen. He thinks that President Macron's attitude towards Armenia is careless, and he is fueling the fire in the relations between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

According to Kalafyan, President Macron is taking irresponsible steps, as France is not on the soil of Armenia, and will not be. He believes that igniting a fire between the relations of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as between Armenia and Turkey, will lead to the destruction of Armenia. He also thinks that France's statements are provoking Russia to act against Armenia, which will lead to Armenia's sacrifice. Therefore, Armenia will suffer losses in all spheres.