The war party in Franco-Swiss guise Vontobel and Co. against peace in the South Caucasus

The process of establishing a lasting peace between Yerevan and Baku—which, after the historic Washington agreements in August 2025, is finally beginning to take shape—has thrown the staunch supporters of a new war in the South Caucasus into confusion and alarm, prompting them to take renewed, active measures.

Moreover, while revanchist sentiments in Armenia are persistently stoked by the Karabakh clan and the church—energy that could be put to much better use—in the legislative bodies of some European countries, such as France and Switzerland, this “mission” is competently carried out by long-time, well-paid servants of global Armenian interests.

For example, the French National Assembly recently adopted another absurd document under the grandiose title of a “resolution,” presented by the France–Armenia friendship group. In this “document,” as is always the case, the worn-out Armenian narratives are repeated: claims of “support for the Armenian population of Artsakh, who were forcibly deported from their historic homeland,” and assertions of the “right of the Armenians of Artsakh to self-determination,” along with absurd demands directed at Azerbaijan for the “immediate and unconditional release of members of Artsakh’s military-political leadership held in Azerbaijan, as well as all Armenian prisoners of war.”

Importantly, this provocation in the French parliament took place on the eve of the Baku Military Court issuing verdicts against those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, terrorism, and numerous other criminal acts against the Azerbaijani people.

The French parliamentarians took this step despite the fact that the trial was conducted in full compliance with all procedural norms. During the proceedings, based on testimony from witnesses, victims, and the accused themselves, the systematic nature of the crimes committed against Azerbaijani civilians and the direct responsibility of the Armenian state for these acts were established. This demonstrates that all Armenian narratives, so persistently promoted to the international community by the legislative bodies of some European countries, are nothing more than political sophistry with no connection to reality.

Here, it is worth noting that the tradition of promoting false and biased anti-Azerbaijani “documents” in the post-conflict period of the region was established by French parliamentarians. To avoid being merely rhetorical, it should be recalled that in November 2022, the French Senate adopted a resolution calling for recognition of the independence of the self-proclaimed regime in Karabakh. In January 2024, it approved another “document” condemning Azerbaijan’s military resolution of the Karabakh issue and demanding that Baku “release the political leaders of the NKR,” while also calling on the EU to reconsider its relations with Azerbaijan, including the possibility of imposing sanctions.

These are just a few examples, and given the openly biased stance of official Paris toward Azerbaijan, there is little doubt that such actions will continue in the future.

Notably, this “noble” mission of the French parliamentarians was eagerly taken up by Armenian lobbyists in the Swiss parliament. On March 18, 2025, the Council of States (the upper chamber of the Swiss parliament) adopted a draft law entitled “Peace Forum for Nagorno-Karabakh: Enabling the Return of Armenians,” thereby demonstrating its anti-Azerbaijani stance.

It is therefore hardly surprising that another attack against the country came recently from a fervent Armenian lobbyist—member of the Swiss National Council Erich Vontobel—who, with enviable consistency, issues statements that defy logical comprehension.

This time, at a press conference in Yerevan, answering a question about “the right of Armenians to return to Karabakh,” he said literally: “After Artsakh, Azerbaijan might turn its sights on Meghri and Zangezur. If this continues, in 50 years the Armenian nation will no longer exist.”

These words make it perfectly clear what one of the authors of the so-called “peace initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh” came to the Armenian capital for—to pour fuel on the fire of revanchist sentiments.

Moreover, if one adds the fact that during his visit to Armenia he met with Samvel Shahramanyan, the leader of the long-defunct, unrecognized separatist entity in Karabakh, and held talks with Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II in Etchmiadzin, this understanding becomes a firm certainty. It allows one to draw the clear conclusion that all these European parliamentarians, in coordination with the Armenian opposition represented by separatists, former presidents, and the church, form a “war party” dedicated to undermining the peace process, aiming to turn the South Caucasus once again into a theater of confrontation and bloodshed.

In this context, it is particularly telling that all this commotion began on the eve of the meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Abu Dhabi—a meeting that served as yet another confirmation that, despite all the low-level machinations of revanchists, peace is coming to the South Caucasus, bringing development opportunities for all countries in the region.