Macron’s hypocrisy “Peacemaking,” French-style

“The swift signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan would open a new chapter for all countries and peoples of the region and beyond.”

This statement was posted by French President Emmanuel Macron on his X (formerly Twitter) account following a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Paris.

At first glance, these appear to be the right — even noble — words. But here it is necessary to add one small yet significant caveat: they are coming from a man and a country that have deliberately and consistently thrown a wrench into the peace process.

So, Macron’s post can be best described with the saying: “The pot calling the kettle black.” To be completely honest, the French president’s words about signing a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan are a textbook example of political duplicity bordering on outright hypocrisy. This is an attempt to claim credit for someone else’s success — to present as one’s own achievement a process one had actively tried to obstruct.

Let us recall that France was one of the co-chairs of the now-defunct OSCE Minsk Group, which was originally established to mediate a resolution to the conflict. In practice, however, the Minsk Group engaged in “shuttle diplomacy” and became an instrument for perpetuating the conflict in favour of the Armenian occupation. Throughout its existence, France did not take a single step toward a just settlement. On the contrary, Paris adopted an openly pro-Armenian stance, effectively acting as an accomplice to the violation of international law — namely, the occupation of nearly 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognised territory.

In 2020, when the 44-day Patriotic War began — a just and liberating campaign grounded in the UN Charter and four Security Council resolutions — Emmanuel Macron, instead of showing respect for international law, was frantically making phone calls to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, attempting to halt the victorious advance of the Azerbaijani Army. His motives were clear: to prevent the defeat of the aggressor state — Armenia.

After the war ended with Azerbaijan’s historic Victory, official Paris shifted to provocations. The French Senate adopted a resolution on the “recognition of independence” of the so-called “NKR.” This step was not just biased — it was a direct affront to international law and common sense.

However, this pompously adopted Senate document turned to dust after the Azerbaijani Army carried out a one-day anti-terrorism operation in the Karabakh region in September 2023, as a result of which Azerbaijan fully restored its sovereignty.

And now, at a moment when Baku and Yerevan have truly come close to signing a peace agreement — including after a substantive meeting in Abu Dhabi — Macron suddenly appears in the picture, this time with a peace-loving slogan and a smile on his face, speaking of a “new chapter” and “hope for the entire region.”

Where was this so-called “peacemaker” when Azerbaijan was insisting on the implementation of four UN Security Council resolutions? And why are the French authorities not demanding today that Yerevan amend its constitution, which still contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan? The answer to these questions is simple and obvious: France continues to play its own game — one in which the interests of the Armenian lobby and its inflated neo-imperial ambitions outweigh truth and justice.

Today, Azerbaijan is a country that has restored its territorial integrity on its own, without anyone’s help. This is the result of the political course pursued by President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the heroism of the Azerbaijani people.

And France, in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, is by no means an ally, a partner, or — least of all — a peacemaker. At best, it is a distant observer; at worst, a patron of injustice now attempting to associate itself with a victory to which it has absolutely no claim.

So Emmanuel Macron may deliver whatever statements he likes today. History remembers everything. And the Azerbaijani people have not forgotten who stood for justice — and who backed the aggressor state.