How the French ambassador embarrassed Macron Decottignies vs. international law

I must admit that the French Ambassador to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies, possesses remarkable talent. This monsieur recently managed once again to make a great number of French politicians and diplomats, including French President Emmanuel Macron, appear utterly foolish, ridiculous, and provocative. "Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan; this has been recognised both by the international community and by Armenia itself," Decottignies stated in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.

I do not know whether he was informed about this in his host country or not, but back in Soviet times, jokes were made about Armenian radio. One of these jokes, by the way, is particularly relevant in light of the French ambassador’s statement in Armenia. It tells of Armenian radio answering a question about the difference between an airplane and a toilet. “In an airplane, you first sit down and then take off, whereas in a toilet, you first take off and then sit down,” Armenian radio replies to the listener.

Monsieur Olivier should also understand the importance of the correct sequence of actions. "If you are talking about the recognition of the government of Nagorno-Karabakh, it was never recognised by the international community or even by Armenia itself. Moreover, Armenia acknowledged that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan as early as the Alma-Ata Declaration, as it was a region, an oblast of Soviet Azerbaijan," he declared.

"Those who claim that Armenia recognised Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan in Prague in 2022 are lying. Armenia recognised this back in the Alma-Ata Declaration, and Prague simply refers to that declaration," said the French diplomat.

At this point, it’s appropriate to ask him to announce the full list of liars, starting with himself. Yes, Decottignies's lie is already evident in his use of the term "Nagorno-Karabakh," which doesn’t exist. There is the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Diplomacy, even the French one under President Macron, cannot tolerate such a "free" interpretation of reality, such a mistaken name for the territory of another country.

Let’s continue. Regarding Armenia’s recognition of the "government of Nagorno-Karabakh," it’s worth reminding the French ambassador that Armenia’s second and third presidents were former leaders of the Karabakh junta and the heads of the "Karabakh clan," which ruled Armenia while simultaneously plundering Azerbaijan’s occupied territories.

Who was appointed to head the Karabakh junta was also decided in Yerevan by Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan. And all of this happened with the tacit consent of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, one of which was France. Official Paris never once mentioned the Alma-Ata Declaration while all this was going on.

In general, France did not condemn Armenia for occupying 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory or for the official Yerevan’s disregard for four UN Security Council resolutions. On the contrary, as a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group, France openly supported Armenia. Official Paris pretended not to see that Armenia was ignoring international law.

Monsieur Decottignies managed to make his country look ridiculous. It turns out that previous French presidents, foreign ministers, and French representatives in the OSCE Minsk Group consciously trampled on international law by ignoring the Alma-Ata Declaration and stubbornly failing to see that Armenia allegedly "adheres" to it. At the same time, Olivier Decottignies provided no evidence that Armenia, prior to its defeat in the 44-day war, respected the principles outlined in the Alma-Ata Declaration. As expected, such evidence doesn’t exist. However, there is plenty of evidence showing how the current Armenian government ignored the declaration that the French diplomat conveniently remembered. One only needs to recall that in the summer of 2019, in Khankendi, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan boldly declared, "Artsakh is Armenia, and period." Official Baku rightfully interpreted Pashinyan's words as a refusal to negotiate on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

But where was France’s condemnation of Armenia's actions? It didn’t exist. Instead, after the start of the 44-day war, French President Macron tried to prevent Azerbaijan from restoring its territorial integrity. In other words, he opposed exactly what is outlined in the Alma-Ata Declaration, which, according to Monsieur Olivier's false statement, "was respected" by official Yerevan. Thus, the French Ambassador to Armenia has managed to paint his country's president as a provocateur and opponent of international law.

He also made a ridiculous display of many French senators. After Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day war, the French Senate covered itself in indelible shame by adopting a resolution recognising the "independence" of the so-called "Artsakh." So, where was their respect for the Alma-Ata Declaration then? There was nothing of the sort.

It’s also worth reminding that even after the defeat in the 44-day war, Armenia continued provocative actions. In 2022, Armenia allocated 144 billion drams (about $295 million USD at the current exchange rate) to the separatists in Karabakh. By allocating such significant sums—especially by the standards of a desperately poor Armenia, increasing its external debt—the official Yerevan supported separatism on our territory and, consequently, ignored the Alma-Ata Declaration. Armenia’s leadership continued to ignore it even after October 6, 2022, when Azerbaijan and Armenia confirmed their commitment to the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, under which both countries recognised each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Armenia continued to finance and arm the Karabakh separatists.

Seeing all this, Azerbaijan was forced to carry out a one-day anti-terrorist operation in the Karabakh region, fully restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is exactly what is outlined in the Alma-Ata Declaration. That is the truth. As for what the French Ambassador to Armenia is claiming, it is a primitive lie and manipulation. By voicing this, Monsieur Olivier makes a ridiculous display of a long line of French diplomats and politicians, including Emmanuel Macron.