Tag: Emmanuel Macron

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Emmanuel Macron has been the most prominent Western leader to publicly align with Armenia’s position in the conflict with Azerbaijan. Following the September 2023 Azerbaijani offensive and the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), France strengthened its security cooperation with Armenia, approved arms sales including radar systems and armored vehicles, and supported Armenia’s engagement with European security structures. Macron’s public statements have been among the sharpest Western criticisms of Azerbaijani conduct.

France’s motivations are debated. The French-Armenian diaspora — one of the largest in the world, with deep roots in communities that survived the 1915 Genocide — gives Armenian issues political salience in France that few other conflicts enjoy. But the diaspora alone does not fully explain the depth of French state engagement. Some analysts argue that France sees Armenia as a potential strategic foothold against Russian influence in the South Caucasus — a western-oriented “bastion” that, if successfully anchored to European structures, would extend EU and NATO-adjacent reach into a region where Moscow has long held sway. In this reading, France’s Armenia policy is as much about containing Russia and countering Turkish influence as it is about solidarity with a small Christian nation.

Groong has covered Macron’s role in Armenian affairs from his early mediation efforts in the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair format through the post-2023 security partnership. Episodes in this category address France’s arms transfers, the political dynamics driving French engagement, the debate over France’s true strategic calculus, and the limits of what a bilateral Franco-Armenian security relationship can realistically provide.

Guest:

Topic:

  • Azerbaijani Attacks over the Weekend
  • East and West
  • Armenia and the Rome Statute

Episode 241 | Recorded: March 26, 2023

Anna Abrahamian: Munich Security Conference | Artsakh [EP230]

Posted on Friday, Feb 24, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Politics, China, Russia, Azerbaijan | Series: cog, video

Today we’re going to talk with Anna Abrahamian about two or three topics.

  • The Munich Security Conference 2023.
  • We’ll touch on Russian president Putin’s state of the federation address.
  • The latest political developments in Artsakh.

Guest:

  • Anna Abrahamian, a geopolitical analyst who splits her time between Moscow and Athens. Having obtained training in international law, Anna has worked in such noteworthy institutions as the Defense Analyses Institute in Athens as well as the Crisis Group in Brussels. Today, Anna provides her analysis on geopolitics and Armenian politics to her
 Read More

Today we’re going to talk with Anna Abrahamian about two or three topics.

  • The Munich Security Conference 2023.
  • We’ll touch on Russian president Putin’s state of the federation address.
  • The latest political developments in Artsakh.

Guest:

  • Anna Abrahamian, a geopolitical analyst who splits her time between Moscow and Athens. Having obtained training in international law, Anna has worked in such noteworthy institutions as the Defense Analyses Institute in Athens as well as the Crisis Group in Brussels. Today, Anna provides her analysis on geopolitics and Armenian politics to her
 Read More

Guest:

Topics:

  • 35th Anniversary of the Karabakh Movement
  • Russia Warns the EU and Armenia
  • Armenian Azerbaijani Negotiations Continue
  • Personal topics

Episode 226 | Recorded: February 19, 2023

Guest:

Topics:

  • 35th Anniversary of the Karabakh Movement
  • Russia Warns the EU and Armenia
  • Armenian Azerbaijani Negotiations Continue
  • Personal topics

Episode 226 | Recorded: February 19, 2023

Guests:

  • William Bairamian, founder and editor of The Armenite. He has written extensively on Armenian politics, culture, and society. He received degrees in international affairs from Columbia University and UCLA.
  • Arthur Khachikyan, International Relations expert from Stanford University, specializing in Intervention. He currently teaches at the Russian Armenian University in Yerevan.

“This is a repeat of Srebrenica. To gradually strangle and force the people to leave.” -Arthur Khachikyan

Topic:

More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due

 Read More

Guests:

  • William Bairamian, founder and editor of The Armenite. He has written extensively on Armenian politics, culture, and society. He received degrees in international affairs from Columbia University and UCLA.
  • Arthur Khachikyan, International Relations expert from Stanford University, specializing in Intervention. He currently teaches at the Russian Armenian University in Yerevan.

“This is a repeat of Srebrenica. To gradually strangle and force the people to leave.” -Arthur Khachikyan

Topic:

More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due

 Read More

Guest:

Topics:

  • Lachin Corridor Blockade
  • Continuing Armenian-Azerbaijani Negotiations
  • Turkish-Azerbaijani Military Exercises
  • Travel Impressions from the region

Episode 182 | Recorded: December 13, 2022

Guest:

Topics:

  • Lachin Corridor Blockade
  • Continuing Armenian-Azerbaijani Negotiations
  • Turkish-Azerbaijani Military Exercises
  • Travel Impressions from the region

Episode 182 | Recorded: December 13, 2022