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Fatima Latifova

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At a time when the peace process in the South Caucasus is moving towards formation, France's attempts to hinder it have already started to become a global threat. The statements of the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan openly condemned France's militarization policy as a threat to the region and its interference in all processes by abusing relations with Armenia.

However, neighboring Armenia's attempt to present this as its sovereign right reveals another problem: on the one hand, Armenia clinches a deal on purchasing dangerous weapons from France, and on the other hand, it accuses Azerbaijan of trying to "disrupt" the peace process. The question arises whether this double standard is a scenario created by the French-Armenian couple to disrupt the peace process or...

It is worth noting that the process of signing a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia is progressing rapidly. The meeting held by the foreign ministers of the two countries in Almaty on May 10-11 indicates successful negotiations towards peace, with concrete agreements reached on continuing and accelerating delimitation and demarcation work.

So the next question comes ad what is France’s aim to create tension by deploying its military contingent on Yerevan?

In a comment for Azernews on the issue, Patrick Walsh, an Irish historian and political analyst, said that weapons provided by France are the center of danger in the South Caucasus.

“Armenia feels vulnerable against Azerbaijan after the defeats of the last 2 and a half years. Yerevan is desperate to improve its defense capabilities. However, the danger lies in weapons acquired from France being employed aggressively. Incidents which produce loss of life can quickly escalate into full scale conflict. That is in nobody's interest but can be a consequence of the acquisition of new weapons and a desire for revenge over recent defeats,” the expert added.

Walsh explained the reason behind France’s biased policy.

“France's motivation for interfering in the unstable South Caucasus are multidimensional. There would be a purely commercial interest. There would also be a vote winning aspect in relation to the Armenian diaspora in France,” the historian noted.

He touched on Paris’s intention to get main role in Europe.

“There would also be France's determination to assume the leadership of Europe since the departure of the UK and disablement of Germany as a result of sanctions against Russia. France has seen an opportunity to lead the Western advance in the South Caucasus. In many ways this is a substitute for action in Ukraine, which the US is restraining at present and which may be stopped altogether if Trump wins a second term,” the expert said.

The pundit also brought attention that Macron leadership has special sympathy for Armenia. He explained that France’s interfere to Armenia is historical experience.

“France has more sympathy for Armenia than it does for Ukraine. There is a strong and long standing relationship based on Christian sentiment. Of course, this does not mean that disaster for Armenia might result. After all isn't this the historical experience of Western intervention for Armenians?” he added.

Speaking about religious issues, the expert also noted that French aggression towards Muslim countries is a national matter.

“These acts are inherent in French society and might be stronger within the French Right which is very anti-Islam. But Macron is interested in projecting French power into the South Caucasus for different reasons, more to do with prestige than from an anti- Muslim basis,” the historian said.

The expert recalled that peace is the one and only solution for the normalization processes between not only Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also France and Azerbaijan.

“A comprehensive peace settlement is the only solution to the instability presently existing. However, the geopolitical situation in the world at present does not favor this at all, unfortunately,” Walsh concluded.

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