On the first day, Monday, of a state visit to the Armenian capital, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Armenia's choice to "turn towards Europe", as well as that of "peace" with Azerbaijan, the "only reasonable" according to him to free itself from Russia.

Published on: 04/05/2026 - 23:46Modified on: 05/05/2026 - 07:51

"We had become a little accustomed for decades to Armenia (...) being in a way a satellite of Russia. Armenia has made the choice to get out of this obstacle and turn towards Europe. We cannot pretend that it does not exist." On the first day of a state visit to Yerevan, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the choice of Armenia on Monday May 4 in front of the French community.

“There were, with the ‘Velvet Revolution’ (in 2018, Editor’s note) and the advent of new leaders, courageous choices that were made to clarify this relationship,” continued the French head of state.

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The meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) which was held on Monday in Yerevan, with more than 40 leaders from the European Union and outside the EU, "would never have been held with Armenian leaders in the hands of the Russians or ambiguous with Russia", he said again.

“Armenia has made a choice for peace, a forced choice”, a “choice of pragmatism to build stability”, he noted, in reference to the agreement reached with Azerbaijan in 2025 after years of bloody conflict.

“This Armenia of the 21st century, if we want it to be built in this region independently of Russia, in peace and stability, I believe I can tell you that the choice of the current leaders is the only reasonable choice,” he said.

“Europe must commit to serving Armenian sovereignty”

Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the holding on Tuesday of a first EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan which will improve the “connectivity” of Armenia, a “landlocked” territory, and the Caucasus, and “help maintain the borders with Frontex”.

“Europe must get involved to help hold the borders more independently for this country,” he insisted, recalling that 4,000 Russian soldiers and more than 1,000 border guards were still stationed on Armenian territory.

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“Europe must commit itself to serving Armenian sovereignty and this choice for Europe and for independence that has been made,” he insisted.

Emmanuel Macron also recalled France's constant support for Armenia, including in terms of "humanitarian aid", in its conflict with Azerbaijan.

“Russia was not there, any more than it is there for Venezuela when it has problems, for Syria, with its historic allies, for Iran (...) or the Malian regime when it is shaken by terrorists. It is better, in the geopolitical context, not to need Russia too much,” he asserted.

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed an agreement in Washington in August 2025 under the aegis of American President Donald Trump, to end the territorial conflict that has opposed them for decades.

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This conflict notably concerned Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave which was at the center of two wars, one at the fall of the Soviet Union and the other in 2020. Azerbaijan finally retook this territory from Armenian separatists after a lightning offensive in 2023.

With AFP

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