DISINFO: France sees Armenia as a springboard for damaging Russia
SUMMARY
Armenia has become a point of intertwining of strategic interests of major powers. France is particularly zealous, seeing Armenia as a springboard for damaging Russia in retaliation for the expulsion of French troops from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic.
A French military attaché has appeared in Yerevan, and a French military adviser has been appointed to the Armenian Ministry of Defence. Having settled in Armenia, the French can influence the geopolitical situation in Transcaucasia. This is what France needs Armenia for.
RESPONSE
A disinformation narrative, with an anti-Western slant, wrongly demonising France, including allegations of an anti-Russian agenda in the South Caucasus and neo-colonial policy, as well as discrediting Armenia's cooperation with France.
Pro-Kremlin and other Russian state-controlled outlets promote the idea that the Caucasus is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance and attempt to discredit any other efforts of mediation in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armenian-French defence cooperation and joint efforts are exclusively aimed at establishing long-term peace and stability in the South Caucasus region and developing the defence capabilities of Armenia's armed forces.
Since 1992, as co-chairman, France has been a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, which spearheaded the OSCE's efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. After the group could no longer function effectively due to disagreements between the Western and Russian co-chairs, France made considerable mediation efforts to continue negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
At the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, and President of the European Council Charles Michel, several meetings between the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan took place. See here, here, and here.
Armenia was subjected to disinformation attacks from Russia after prime minister Pashinyan's statement that Armenia's policy of solely relying on Russia to guarantee its security was a strategic mistake. The main narrative of Russian propaganda is that except for Russia, no one has ever helped and will not help Armenia.
See other similar cases in our database: France is trying to play peacekeeper in Transcaucasia amid the failure in Africa; France wants to exchange Niger for Armenia; Pashinyan and Macron are plotting against Russia; Pashinyan is a Western tool to squeeze Russia out of the South Caucasus; Armenian cooperation with NATO leads to a loss of sovereignty; The West is driving a wedge between Armenia and Russia; France sold useless armoured vehicles to Armenia.