Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – France stands accused of forging a controversial arms relationship with Armenia in the Caucasus region that potentially threatens hopes of regional peace between Armenia and its neighbour Azerbaijan.
France’s Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced an agreement to sell CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Armenia, marking a significant milestone in Franco-Armenian defense relations. This contract, signed with Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, follows a series of recent arms deals, including the sale of assault rifles and radars. The move, while possibly influenced by domestic political considerations given France’s substantial Armenian diaspora, has sparked concerns about its potential impact on the fragile peace process in the Caucasus region, particularly following recent progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.
France-Armenia Arms Deal Raises Concerns Amid Caucasus Peace Efforts
According to media reports, France’s Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu says that his country had agreed to sell CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Armenia.
Lecornu reportedly posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the contract was signed during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Suren Papikyan, calling it an “important milestone”. Lecornu did not say how many systems Armenia would acquire.
CAESAR is a French 155 mm self-propelled howitzer that can fire 39/52 calibre NATO-standard shells. It is installed on a 6×6 or 8×8 truck chassis and equipped with an autonomous weapon network. CAESAR can strike targets over 55km away using rocket-assisted or smart ammunition.
This latest arms deal follows a contract, that Lecornu oversaw in February, allowing Armenia to buy assault rifles from a French company. Three GM200 radars have also been supplied and both countries are reportedly discussing the possibility of Armenia purchasing short-range Mistral missiles.
Yet France has not explained why it is choosing to arm Armenia.
Domestic politics could, it is argued, play a part: France has a large Armenian diaspora – over 650,000 strong – that is the third largest in the world, behind Russia and the United States.
With President Emmanuel Macron on the verge of a key parliamentary election before the Paris Olympics, he is fighting for every vote, even if, as is argued, this risks upending the possibility of regional peace in the Caucasus.
In September 2023 Azerbaijan retook the disputed territory of Karabakh and this has opened a window of opportunity for Azerbaijan and Armenia to resolve their differences directly without foreign interference in the region.
French Arms Deal Risks Caucasus Peace Process
A recent deal between Baku and Yerevan to transfer control of four border villages back to Azerbaijan and the erection of the first border markers between the two countries, which marked the beginning of the border delimitation process, took place without any Russian or Western participation. The ‘No Russia, no West’ approach or, in other words, a direct bilateral format in the normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations that was adopted last year, had begun to look workable.
Some argue the latest French arms deal is now threatening this peace momentum.
Following Lecornu’s announcement, Azerbaijan responded with a robust message: “The fact that France, despite the warnings of the Azerbaijani side, has supplied Armenia with lethal and assault artillery installations and other types of weapons is another evidence of France’s provocative activities in the South Caucasus region.”
“Although the French Ministry of Defense claimed in (it’s) October statement of last year that the military equipment supplied to Armenia was of a defensive nature, equipping Armenia with lethal offensive weapons under the current military deal is another manifestation of the hypocrisy of the French leadership,” said Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry.
It warned that “The rearmament of Armenia, which has experience of bloody military aggression, by France… is a path to a new war”.
By arming Armenia at a time when regional peace is fragile and needs support from all stakeholders, it is argued that President Macron may instead be “fanning the flames” and encourage elements within Armenia to take on a confrontational or even revanchist approach to Azerbaijan instead of working with its neighbour to build a sustainable, credible and irreversible peace.
France’s position, it is further suggested,may also undermine the authority and acceptance of the European Union’s post-conflict peace-building efforts to support the implementation of a future peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
France’s controversial policy in the Caucasus could have repercussions that could impact the region for far longer than President Macron’s own presidency, not a legacy he may want. Against the backdrop of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, heightened polarization and challenges to global cooperation, President Macron should strive to sow the seeds of peace.
