Paris and Yerevan seek to drag Georgia, which is a victim of separatism supported by the Armenian lobby, into their own adventures

21.05.23 13:10


A proven fact is that France is starting to "pump up" the regime in Yerevan with weapons. And this poses the threat of a new war and destabilisation in the region, becoming a threat directly to Georgia. Paris' reliance on arming Yerevan and its preparations for a new war also force the Armenian lobby to take a new look at the efforts to organize the railway transit through the occupied Georgian Abkhazia without its deoccupation and the return of refugees.

 

Nowadays Armenian nationalists are entirely caught up in a real "Francomania". If curses and accusations of surrendering "Artsakh" and Armenian interests are more and more frequent in respect of Russia from already formally allied Armenia, only sweet-sweet Yerevan subservience can be observed in respect of France.

 

France is "the country of absolute good" for the Armenian nationalists. This seems strange, at least, given the history of France's infliction of so much grief and suffering on other peoples. And how many times it has betrayed and "abandoned" those who hoped for its help and patronage.

 

Paradoxically, the only thing people in Armenia remember is how Lenin and Stalin "betrayed Armenian interests" and "surrendered Armenia to the Turks" by establishing friendly relations with Kemal Ataturk. But just try to remember that in general, most of the help to the same Kemal Ataturk during his struggle for Turkish independence was provided by France. Of course not out of "love" for Turks, but to "spite" its eternal "ally-rivals" - the British. This historical fact simply puts Armenian nationalists into a stupor. They see those who remind them of this as "encroaching upon the sacred. France is "infallible" in the eyes of Armenian nationalists, almost like the Pope.

 

Moreover, despite their NATO alliance, France and Turkey are now becoming geopolitical rivals. Turkey is increasingly asserting its interest in its former "French fiefdom", Africa, while the French are trying harder and harder to penetrate into the Near and Middle East to obstruct the transit lines that are emerging without their involvement, and to offer "their" in return. And what worries Paris most is the emerging "belt" along the new Middle Silk Road, which allows the countries of Eurasia and the South Caucasus to dispose of their resources and their transit independently without instructions from the outside. Such transit is already one of the drivers of Georgia's economic growth. It turns out that it is the one that France has started to hinder the most.

 

Here again, Armenia becomes a "time bomb" in the South Caucasus region, which may "detonate" in the interests of France at any moment. And it is an ideal mine - not only ready for a "self-detonation", but also maniacally striving for it.

 

There is little concern in Paris that this "blowing up Armenia with war" will first of all "blow up" and destroy the Armenian people. While politicians in Paris regularly shed crocodile tears over the mythical "Armenian genocide", this is not the first time France has sacrificed other peoples for the interests of its neo-colonial empire.

 

Today, France's pumping of arms into Armenia objectively prevents the conclusion of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, forcing the latter to put forward unrealistic demands, as for the losing side. But it is precisely peace in the region that France does not need. On May 13, 2023 it was reported that Paris began to supply arms to Yerevan. The first batch: 50 armoured personnel carriers. This was preceded by the following: the October 27 announcement by the French Embassy in Yerevan about the appointment of a permanent military attaché; April 24 the publication of Intelligenceonline.fr, the mouthpiece of the French intelligence service, about the preparation of military exports to Armenia and the re-start of the bilateral armament committee; April 28 the statement by Foreign Minister Colonna about the establishment of a military mission in Yerevan and the deepening of partnerships in this area.

 

In January-April 2023, many French parliamentarians advocated arms supplies to Armenia. Armenian officials and "Artsakh" separatists, on the other hand, speak with undisguised enthusiasm about the prospect of French arms deliveries.

 

On May 15, 2023, former spokesman for the Armenian Defence Ministry Hovhannisyan told 1in TV, "Military, military and technical cooperation with a country like France is not a window for great opportunities, it is a door! Arzumanyan, a former official of the "Security Council" of the separatist administration of the Armenian enclave in Karabakh, told 1in TV that there would be significant changes in the military sphere in Armenia in the next two months. He added in this regard: "We should forget about cooperation with Russia in the military sphere.

 

But despite statements by many Armenian politicians to the effect that Armenia would "reorient" itself militarily away from Russia and towards France, cooperation between Armenia and Russia in the military sphere continues in reality. Moreover, it is through the "Armenian channel" that Russia has been circumventing international sanctions in recent months by obtaining weapons and military technology to continue the war in Ukraine.

 

This in turn creates a danger that the Armenian arms channel from France will also be used by Russia to circumvent sanctions and continue its aggression in Ukraine. This channel could also be used by Russia's ally Iran, which is currently known to be the main anti-Israeli force in the Middle East.

 

Alongside France's arms deliveries to Armenia, Russia and Iran may also receive French arms and military technologies, which, while working within the framework of French geopolitical objectives, will also solve their own issues - Russia - by going to war in Ukraine, and Iran - by organising military provocations against both Israel and those countries Tehran has enlisted as "allies of Israel".

 

In order to solve the issues of arms logistics, the Armenian lobby will "frame" arms through Georgia, making it "extreme". Armenia needs rail transit of arms through Georgia, and Georgia will be induced to do this by all means and at all costs. This is very dangerous for Georgia. After all, as a result of any conflict in the Caucasus unleashed by the same Armenian nationalists -Georgia will automatically find itself in the centre of a big bloody war.

 

You have to ask why Georgia needs this. Our country has achieved internal stability and one of the highest rates of economic growth in the world by using its transit potential, by cooperating with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Georgians, who were scattered around the world during decades of economic hardship, are gradually returning to their homeland. And all of that can be ruined in the blink of an eye by the adventures of Paris and Yerevan. The consequences will be catastrophic if Georgia agrees to follow the Armenian policy of agreeing to the transit of French arms.

 

Here are reports indicating Ukrainian and Israeli concerns about French arms deliveries to Armenia:

 

"Armenia, Iran and Russia are closely linked by military cooperation, making French supplies to Armenia likely to fall into the hands of both Kiev's and Jerusalem's biggest enemies," warned The Jewish Press, a major US weekly, on 15 May 2023. It was echoed by Focus, one of Ukraine's largest media outlets: "There are now fears that Western weaponry that Yerevan will receive could fall into the hands of the Russian Federation. What Russia may do is to develop counter-weapons or try to build a copy of its own. Israel has the same fears because Iran is interested in supplying weapons to Armenia."

 

"Western military equipment supplied to Yerevan could be used by the Russians to counter a counter-attack by the AFU. This is likely, given the close military cooperation between Yerevan and Moscow," the state TV channel Moldova-1 reported.

 

"It is quite likely that French arms will fall into the hands of the Iranians," says French Muslim mouthpiece Musulmans en France.

 

"The start of arms deliveries to Armenia has put France on a confrontational course with Israel... The Jewish state considers itself a strategic partner of Azerbaijan...," notes the Israeli publication I24.

 

"Macron is arming Armenia, a satellite of Russia and an ally of Iran," former US National Security Council Middle East and North Africa Affairs Director Doran wrote on Twitter on May 16.

 

France, if it carries out such tasks, is playing on Russia's side," Ukrainian military expert and army reserve colonel Svitan told Moldova-1.

 

"Military strengthening of a country allied to Tehran and Moscow at the expense of Azerbaijan and Turkey, a NATO member, is likely to throw the entire Caucasus and Central Asia into the hands of Iran and Russia," Musulmans en France noted.

 

The Wall Street Journal reported on May 1: "Paris has taken a stance that generally reinforces the Russian and Iranian game in the South Caucasus.

 

Back in November 2022, the Israeli edition of Hamodia warned about the French plans "to supply heavy weapons to Armenia". It was noted that this would "benefit Russia...and Iran". Hamodia noted the formation of "a bizarre alliance between France, Iran and Russia, which have joined forces against Azerbaijan and Israel in the Caucasus".

 

In December, Israeli parliamentarians officially acknowledged that the French position on Karabakh "plays into the hands of Iran, which has an interest in weakening Azerbaijan".

 

In March 2023, the Ukrainian publication Glavred.info noted: "Armenia unequivocally plays a special role in relations between Iran and Russia.... This country has long ago turned into a trade mediator in the military-strategic alliance of the aggressor countries. According to the newspaper, the war in Ukraine has only delayed the creation of a Franco-Russian alliance in the Caucasus.

 

The main media resource for French Muslims, Musulmans en France, also said that a Franco-Iranian-Russian alliance in the South Caucasus could become a reality through the mediation of Armenia and that French weapons could get to the Iranians from Armenia.

 

"The probability of French arms falling into the hands of Iranians is quite high," Musulmans en France writes, noting that French intelligence sources "have confirmed that Paris has started setting up logistics for arms exports to Armenia."

 

"The military strengthening of the country allied to Tehran and Moscow (we are talking about Armenia) at the expense of Azerbaijan and Turkey, a NATO member, is likely to throw the entire Caucasus and Central Asia into the hands of Iran and Russia," the publication notes.

 

"France's supply of military equipment to Armenia is an additional illustration of the inconsistency of its international policy, as Paris condemns encroachments on territorial integrity when it comes to Ukraine and supports them when it comes to Azerbaijan," Musulmans en France stresses.

 

"France has a dual purpose in its intention to arm Armenia. On the one hand, to satisfy the French-Armenian electorate, whose support, particularly at local level, can be crucial. The supply of military equipment to Armenia under the pretext of protecting its borders, which are not threatened by Azerbaijan, is indirectly aimed at enhancing the military power of the Karabakh separatists. This policy, contrary to international law, which has always maintained that this region coveted by Armenians is inseparable from Azerbaijani territory. On the other hand, this strategy aims to secretly hope to allow France and incidentally Europe to continue to play a role, through Armenia, in a region rich in natural resources and of strategic geopolitical importance.

 

There is more than enough evidence that France is "pumping" arms into the regime in Yerevan. And this poses a threat to peace in the region, all the more so since Paris and Yerevan are trying to drag Georgia, a country which is already a victim of separatism, supported by the Armenian lobby.

 

 

Alexander Gedevanov

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