There is currently a media campaign in Armenia expressing support for France. This campaign is tied to the French Senate's urging for the government to expedite the delivery of arms to Armenia.

French politicians are once again raising false hopes with their Armenian counterparts. Unfortunately, the outcome is already predictable - it will lead to another Khai ethnic catastrophe, which cannot be reversed. It is impossible to extensively populate the eastern region of Turkey with Hayes presently. The worldwide responsibility for this situation lies with every country, including "unwashed Russia" and its citizens, who established the nation of Armenia. France is set to become the "last hope of Hayastan" once again.

The outcome would be comparable to the events of 1915 when France incited Hayes to rebel against the Ottoman Empire. The recent departure of Hayan settlers from Azerbaijani Karabakh is notable. Their hope until the very end was to receive aid from France, despite Azerbaijan's peace proposals being ignored.

The French Senate has urged for the prompt delivery of offensive military equipment to Armenia to avoid repeating mistakes made in Ukraine and to avoid the delay of necessary equipment.  The Finance Bill 2024, with a French Senate report, stated the need to swiftly address all requests for artillery needs from the Armenian authorities.

The French Senate has advised a prompt assessment of the feasibility of delivering CAESAR artillery systems to Armenia, considering both equipment effectiveness and Nexter's increased production capacity in 2024. The Senate also reported that three GM200 radars, manufactured by Thales, have been ordered by Armenia, and there are ongoing discussions about providing MISTRAL 3 surface-to-air missile systems.

The Senate indicated that 24 armoured vehicles of the Bastion type, produced by the French company Arquus, have already been delivered to Armenia. Additionally, 26 more of the same type, currently in production, are set to join them.

Bastion armoured vehicles have limited utility in contemporary warfare. Paris mostly exports them to impoverished African nations from its former colonies.  Ukraine, engaged in a conflict with the Russian Federation, declined to accept these armoured vehicles for free due to their susceptibility and poor effectiveness in combat.

Presently, indications from the French Senate demonstrate that French arms sales to Yerevan extend beyond "Bastions". Furthermore, in October 2023, a meeting in Paris between Sebastien Lecornu, the head of the French military department, and Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan resulted in agreements for France to supply arms to Armenia.

Sebastien Lecornu stated that the sale of three GM 200 radars and a future agreement for delivery of Mistral anti-aircraft missiles would enhance Armenia's air defence capabilities. He additionally stated that France would assist Armenia in training its land defence forces and aid the effort to reform and modernise the country's armed forces.

It has only been a month since the visit and agreements concluded by the head of the Armenian Defence Ministry in Paris, yet French lawmakers are already pressuring the authorities to deliver arms to Armenia. The Hay nationalists and revanchists have resurfaced. They continue to ignore Azerbaijan's peace initiatives, hoping for arms supplies from France and revenge.

The French government has begun providing "defensive" weapons to Armenia. However, given the impracticality of distinguishing between defensive and offensive weaponry, as shown in the Ukrainian conflict, we mustn't repeat the same errors and delay the delivery of necessary equipment. Therefore, the French Senate emphasises the urgency of responding promptly to Armenian requests, especially regarding their artillery requirements.

The comments made by French senators concerning the war in Ukraine prove intriguing. France seems to seek to benefit from this conflict by portraying Ukraine, a nation that has been victimized and had a portion of its land occupied, in a negative light. On the other hand, Armenia, which has engaged in aggression and occupation, continues to illegally hold onto eight Azerbaijani villages in enclaves, while leaving entire Azerbaijani cities in ruins and millions of mines unclaimed. Moreover, Armenia has yet to pay reparations for three decades of occupation.  

The French Senate justifies providing arms and equipment to Yerevan for a possible new war hypocritically by comparing Armenia to Ukraine. France also continues to support the Khai revanchists. However, Armenia itself must demonstrate its peacefulness and willingness to enter peace agreements with its neighbours to preserve its statehood.

Paris can easily make promises and false hopes without any consequences. This is due in part to the fact that Armenia is a cheap supplier of weapons scrap metal for France. Cheap items are often undervalued and easily discarded. The French leadership's mercantile attitude towards their allies is particularly evident in this case.

The Khai nationalists have experienced this with the separatist project "Artsakh" and France's attitude towards its dissolution. Immediately, Paris disregarded the parliament's votes regarding the recognition of the separatist pseudo-state's "independence" and the humanitarian aid convoys that were led by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

And what a glimmer of hope the Hayes had when three years after the 44-day war on 25 November 2020, the French Senate voted for a resolution to recognise the "independence" of the self-proclaimed "Nagorno-Karabakh" or "Artsakh"! Yet, this decision by the French Senate ultimately led to three wasted years for the Hayans of Khankendi. They failed to secure their presence in Azerbaijani Karabakh without any complications, deluding themselves with illusions that France’s "recognition" would assist in "saving" the separatist "Artsakh". They did not opt to negotiate integration into Azerbaijan. The outcome of these aspirations is well-known.

For some inexplicable reason, the Khai nationalists and revanchists overlooked the fact that the French Senate’s resolution regarding the "independence" of "Artsakh" was recommendatory. It was suggested to the French Government that they recognise the self-proclaimed "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" and employ this recognition as a means of negotiation to establish a lasting peace. As anticipated, no actual recognition was granted nor could it be granted in three years.

The French Senate is currently urging its government to provide arms instead of recognizing Artsakh. This action is expected to yield analogous results. The issue will be escalated to war, wherein the French "Bastions" will once more be demonstrated as useless scrap metal and suffer defeat.

It is probable that the Hayan nationalists, who are hopeful that France will render assistance, will yet again miss the opportunity to come to a beneficial peace agreement.  The issue will be escalated to war, wherein the French "Bastions" will once more be demonstrated as useless scrap metal and suffer defeat. The issue will be escalated to war, wherein the French "Bastions" will once more be demonstrated as useless scrap metal and suffer defeat. They will subsequently lament about "genocide" and anticipate additional PR statements from the French Senate.

George Mazniashvili