Paris cultivates Armenian revanchism Two Nicolas in one tent

This week, France made headlines once again for its ongoing embrace of Armenophilia. "Representatives of the Council for the Protection of the Rights of Artsakh Armenians, on April 16, welcomed Members of the European Parliament, Nicolas Bay and Nicolas Metzdorf, in a tent at Freedom Square in Yerevan," Armenian media reports.

It is worth noting that both deputies are French citizens. One of them, Metzdorf, represents the pro-government colonial community of New Caledonia, while Bay is a former secretary-general and one of the leaders of the right-wing populist party National Rally.

"Karabakh representatives presented their issues and the efforts made to protect their rights to the guests. They thanked the Members of the European Parliament for their support and compassion. In turn, the deputies mentioned the need for a fair and peaceful resolution of the conflict," the media reports.

As we can see, the MEPs are a bit late to the discussion. The Karabakh conflict has already been resolved through the efforts of Baku. However, this is precisely what French parliamentarians are attempting to contest, arguing that the conflict is by no means resolved until the "status of the Armenians of Karabakh" is determined.

Bay and Metzdorf were not satisfied with simply stating their position and moved on to threats: "They mentioned the need to punish Azerbaijan for international crimes, emphasising that the current impunity has led to new encroachments, even against France," Armenian media enthusiastically report.

Here’s what one of the deputies, Nicolas Metzdorf, posted on his microblog on X: "Azerbaijan has carried out ethnic cleansing against Armenians in this region. France must not allow anything like this from this dictatorial country that destabilises our territories around the world."

Let’s remind that this figure had already visited Armenia in October of last year. At that time, he declared that "the peoples of New Caledonia and Armenia are fighting a common struggle for the protection of the free world, undermined by Azerbaijan."

And here the French make a big mistake. By adding their grievance over Baku's anti-colonial policy to the "Karabakh case," they are effectively diminishing and discrediting the very essence of the "Karabakh case" in ethical terms in the eyes of the Armenians. They inadvertently reveal that, for the most part, they are indifferent to the fate of the Armenians; their involvement is purely driven by geopolitical considerations. They have shown that their main goal is not to protect the Armenians, but to strike a blow against Azerbaijan. In other words, the French have almost admitted that it is Azerbaijanis, not Armenians, who occupy their thoughts.

However, we must also pay attention to another detail. The aforementioned tweet from Metzdorf begins as follows: "I am very happy to be in Armenia today. I was able to meet in Yerevan with the exiled president of Nagorno-Karabakh." This means that the European parliamentarian is not only concerned about Armenians who voluntarily moved from Azerbaijan to Armenia, not merely seeking a "status" for them, but is openly challenging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

The same approach is being taken by a group of French lawyers, led by Naira Zoroyan (Institute for Human Rights, Montpellier Bar Association), who published a column in Le Figaro regarding the Baku trial of individuals accused of war crimes. It’s almost impossible to refrain from laughter while reading this document. Here are some excerpts: "Currently, Azerbaijan is imposing an illegal trial on its Armenian hostages, violating human rights"; "The ongoing trial of Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan is one of the most flagrant manifestations of state injustice." And the ultimate line: "These men, captured during ethnic cleansing, are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, equivalent to psychological and physical torture. Numerous testimonies and photos, passed on by the international press, point to the brutal treatment they are enduring, particularly Ruben Vardanyan, whose swollen face attests to the violence he suffered during his detention."

Let's take a look at the faces of the "men of Armenian separatism." Even a legitimate concern about the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in an Azerbaijani prison seems unable to hide the satisfaction on their faces from three meals a day, soft slippers, and the possibility of watching TV.

Now, let’s address the issue seriously. The letter from the lawyers states, among other things: "This institutionalised despotism reaches its peak in the unjust trial of 23 Armenian hostages, including former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh and arbitrarily detained civilians."

It is worth noting that "leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh" are specifically mentioned here. This pressure from the French side on the "Karabakh issue" comes at a time when Prime Minister Pashinyan is spending his second day attempting to convince his fellow citizens of the disastrous consequences the "Karabakh movement" has had for Armenian statehood.

One can't help but recall the legendary meeting between Macron and representatives of the French Dashnaks, where he promised to pursue Armenian interests even if the leadership of Armenia abandons them. It seems the French have decided to fight even against the sporadic attempts of the Armenian Prime Minister to convince the Armenian people to stop thinking about "land annexation."

In short, Paris continues its policy of confronting Azerbaijan, using Armenia purely functionally as its "long arm" in the South Caucasus, or more precisely, as fuel for the fire. When ordinary Armenians will realise this, especially since they will inevitably have to vote on constitutional reforms, remains a big question.