The French mission of bias Decottignies-style “humanism”

Last week marked five years since the start of the 44-day Patriotic War, after which Azerbaijan restored justice and liberated the majority of its temporarily occupied territories. This day in Azerbaijani history will forever remain a symbol of courage and a remembrance of the fallen.

And on this very day, France once again showed its true face. The French ambassador to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies, decided on the social media platform X to "honour the memory" of the Armenian occupiers by posting a quote from Jean Cocteau: “The true grave of the dead is the heart of the living.” We will not dwell on why Monsieur Olivier believed that only the lover of Jean Marais was worth quoting in the context of praising the Armenian occupiers.

However, there is nothing surprising in yet another provocation by Olivier Decottignies. He has long been known for making numerous biased statements. For instance, in March 2024, he claimed there was “a violation of the rights of Armenians of Artsakh to return.”

"The road to Stepanakert (Khankendi – ed.) is now closed. 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh were forced to leave their homes after 9 months of blockade and a brutal attack by Azerbaijan," he wrote at the time on X.

And this is just one example of his anti-Azerbaijani remarks. Indeed, the French ambassador has never concealed his sympathies for Armenia and continues to pursue a policy of supporting Yerevan, even when the international community has recognised that the Karabakh issue is closed. In our view, this is precisely where the “root of the problem” lies.

France, as a former co-chair of the notorious OSCE Minsk Group, played the role of “mediator” for many years, while in reality openly backing Armenia and obstructing any decisions that could have led to de-occupation. The emergence of new realities in the region, following Azerbaijan’s restoration of control over all its territories and the dissolution of the Minsk Group, became a personal defeat for Paris.

Simply put, this is not just about Olivier Decottignies. French politicians, regardless of party affiliation, are remarkably unanimous on this issue – they share one position: full and unconditional support for Armenia in various forms. Political – through constant resolutions in the French National Assembly and Senate, portraying Azerbaijan as the “aggressor” and Armenia as the “victim.” Financial – through various aid programmes presented under the guise of “supporting reforms,” but in fact strengthening Armenia’s military and diplomatic capacity. And military – through the open supply of weapons and the training of Armenian servicemen by French specialists.

Thus, Olivier Decottignies’s social media post is not the private opinion of a diplomat, but a reflection of Paris’s official line. France perceives Azerbaijan’s victory as its own defeat, and therefore does not cease its provocations. Today, Paris is actively searching for any pretext to regain its lost levers of influence in the South Caucasus.

And so we must remember: France’s position does not change. It will always support Armenia – politically, financially, militarily, and diplomatically, at least for as long as Macron remains in power. For us, this means only one thing: to be prepared for new French provocations, new attempts to discredit Azerbaijan on international platforms, new resolutions and statements, and new efforts to revive a conflict that has already been consigned to history.