Category: News

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer of ‘a gentle, intelligent, and mutually beneficial divorce’ in relation to Armenia pursuing deepening ties with the EU. Pashinyan, instead suggested that his government ‘is guided in its interstate relations by an interstate logic’ and not a ‘marriage’.

‘We are a full member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and as long as we are a member of the EAEU, we fully participate in all decision-making’, Pashinyan said in a Monday press briefing.

In his comments on 9 May, Putin further voiced the necessity of Armenia holding a referendum to choose between the EU and the EAEU, based on which Moscow would draw conclusions and proceed with a ‘divorce’.

Pashinyan said he had communicated Armenia’s stance with Putin regarding the choice between the two blocs.

‘We will hold a referendum at the moment when there is an objective need for it. My assessment is that there is simply no such objective necessity. We treat our EAEU partners and our participation in the EAEU with great respect’, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan further reiterated his government’s stance of a ‘balanced foreign policy’ and said there was no intention of ‘harming Russia’s interests’.

Armenia’s focus is to be ‘guided by Armenia’s national interests’, he said, adding that his government would ‘continue to deepen’ relations with Russia, while also ‘mov[ing] forward with the logic of deepening our future relations with the EU […] by deepening democratic reforms’.

During the same press briefing, Pashinyan reiterated his stance that bilateral relations with Russia are undergoing a ‘positive’ and ‘inevitable transformation’. In an apparent response, Russian Foreign Ministry official Mikhail Kalugin warned that ‘Yerevan’s advancement along the so-called European path could at some point lead to systemic changes in Russian–Armenian relations’.

The comments marked the latest upswing in tensions between Armenia and Russia, coming after Putin’s testy meeting with Pashinyan in Moscow in April, when Putin underscored the impossibility of being in a customs union with the EU and the EAEU.

Pashinyan rejects ‘censorship’ of Zelenskyi’s comments

During the same press briefing, Pashinyan was also asked to address the note of protest submitted to Armenia by the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Yerevan earlier in May.

‘I do not think that, in my capacity as the head of government of the host country, I should censor or necessarily respond to everything’, Pashinyan said.

At the EPC summit, Zelenskyi referred to Russia’s planned 9 May Victory Day parade in Moscow — the country’s most cherished holiday, which celebrates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII — noting it would be held without military equipment for the first time ‘in many, many years’.

‘They cannot afford military equipment – and they fear drones may buzz over Red Square. This is telling. It shows they are not strong now’, Zelenskyi said.

Prior to the parade, Zelenskyi issued a presidential order explicitly saying there would be no strikes directed at Red Square on 9 May.

‘There have also been cases when, in my presence, the President of [Russia] made statements about different countries, but I do not remember Russia expecting me to respond to those statements’, Pashinyan said.

He further noted that Armenia’s simultaneous membership in various international organisations ‘does not mean we aim to interfere in all global affairs’.

‘We are a small country with our own agenda, and we do not always consider it necessary to take the lead on global issues and make statements’, Pashinyan stated.

What the First EU–Armenia Summit Means for European Companies

France’s support for Armenia has moved from political declarations to concrete military cooperation. After the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh and the exodus of around 100,000 Armenians, Yerevan understood that Russian guarantees were no longer sufficient. Moscow remained formally present in Armenia, but it did not stop Azerbaijan. This created a political and military opening for France, which quickly presented itself as a partner ready to support Armenian sovereignty and territorial defence.

The first CAESAR systems are now in Armenian hands and are expected to be shown during the Republic Day parade on 28 May, linked to the commemoration of the Battle of Sardarabad in 1918. The exact number of delivered systems has not been officially confirmed, although local reporting has referred to a possible order of 36 CAESAR 6×6 systems. Even without final confirmation of the full number, the direction is clear: Armenia is moving towards French artillery, French air defence and Western standards.

This follows earlier French decisions from October 2023, when Paris announced measures to strengthen Armenian defence capabilities. These included training partnerships, Mistral 3 short-range air defence missiles, three GM200 radars, night vision equipment from Safran and Bastion armoured vehicles from Arquus. A first batch of 24 Bastion vehicles was delivered via Georgia, and another 26 were planned. This route also matters, because it underlines the role of Georgia in Western access to the Caucasus.

The CAESAR delivery is especially important because artillery is one of the areas where Armenia needs rapid strengthening. The French Senate had already argued that Paris should not repeat the mistakes made with Ukraine, where key systems were delivered late. In the Armenian case, the logic is similar: if Yerevan is to deter further Azerbaijani pressure, it needs capabilities now, not only declarations. CAESAR gives Armenia mobility, precision and a NATO-standard 155 mm system, which also pushes the Armenian army further away from Russian equipment.

This is part of a broader Armenian rearmament process. Armenia is also buying systems from India, including 155 mm ATAGS and MArG howitzers, Swathi radars, Pinaka rocket launchers, Akash air defence systems and Zen anti-drone systems. This is not a full break with Russia yet, but it is a clear diversification of military suppliers. Yerevan is building alternatives because it no longer trusts Moscow as the only security provider.

France is using this moment very consciously. Paris is not acting out of sentiment; it is acting according to its own strategic logic. Russia weakened French influence in Africa through Wagner activity and political pressure in Mali, the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso. France is now trying to respond in Russia’s own sphere of influence, especially in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Armenia is therefore not an isolated case. It is one part of a larger French strategy.

This strategy also includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. Macron’s visits to Astana and Tashkent were connected to energy, uranium, nuclear cooperation and business for French companies such as Orano, TotalEnergies, Alstom and EDF. In Mongolia, France is building cooperation in uranium, lithium, space and technology, including the Chinggis Sat satellite project with Thales Alenia Space. Paris is trying to secure markets, resources and political access in regions where Russia and China have long dominated.

The South Caucasus is even more sensitive because it directly touches Russian, Turkish, Iranian and European interests. Armenia still hosts the Russian 102nd military base in Gyumri, with around 3,500 Russian soldiers, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has not fully broken with Moscow. At the same time, Armenia has suspended participation in the CSTO framework and demanded that Russian border guards leave Yerevan airport. This is not a complete 180-degree shift, but it is a serious political signal.

France also sees Armenia through a wider network of alliances. Paris has strong relations with Greece, and Greece is also strengthening ties with Armenia. This matters because Turkey supports Azerbaijan, and French policy in the Caucasus inevitably affects French-Turkish relations. In practice, a triangle of France, Greece and Armenia is becoming more visible, with India also playing an increasingly important role through arms supplies and political alignment.

The Armenian factor is also important domestically for France. Around 700,000 people of Armenian origin live in France, and this gives the issue political weight in Paris. However, the current French policy goes beyond diaspora politics. It is about influence, defence industry, regional positioning and pressure on Russia. France wants to show that it can still act globally and that it can hit Russian interests outside Ukraine.

The strategic partnership signed during Macron’s visit to Yerevan confirms that this cooperation will deepen. The declaration refers directly to security, defence, military training, technical cooperation and military-technological cooperation. This means that France is not only selling systems, but is also trying to build a longer-term defence relationship with Armenia. The next steps will likely include more training, more industrial cooperation and further integration of Armenian capabilities with French and Western systems.

The key question is whether France can sustain this policy over time. Delivering CAESAR systems, Mistral missiles, radars and armoured vehicles is one thing. Building Armenia into a serious partner capable of deterring Azerbaijan and reducing dependence on Russia is something much larger. It requires money, production capacity, political consistency and coordination with partners such as India, Greece and possibly the European Union.

For Russia, this is a problem. Moscow is already overstretched by the war in Ukraine and has lost part of its credibility in the Caucasus. If France continues expanding its presence in Armenia, Russia will have to monitor another front of influence competition. This does not mean that Moscow will disappear from Armenia quickly. But it does mean that its monopoly is broken.

The conclusion is straightforward. The first CAESAR systems in Armenia are not only about artillery. They are a signal that France is entering a space where Russia was used to operating almost alone. After losing ground in parts of Africa, Paris is now trying to strike back in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Armenia is the clearest example of this policy, and if the cooperation continues, it may become one of the most important French strategic openings outside Europe.