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.

Normalization | Brussels Sprouts | NSC Chair in DC | Armenia Project Tour | Ep. 108 - Dec 19, 2021 [EP108]

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 19, 2021

Topics:

  • Turkish-Armenian normalization
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Armen Grigoryan in Washington DC
  • The Armenian Project - US Tour
  • Analyst Rants

Guest:

Episode 108 | Recorded: December 20, 2021

Normalization | Brussels Sprouts | NSC Chair in DC | Armenia Project Tour | Ep. 108 - Dec 19, 2021 [EP108]

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 21, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia

ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 19, 2021

Topics:

  • Turkish-Armenian normalization
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Armen Grigoryan in Washington DC
  • The Armenian Project - US Tour
  • Analyst Rants

Guest:

Episode 108 | Recorded: December 20, 2021

State of Affairs in Lebanon & the Armenians a Year After the Beirut Explosion | Ep #98 - Nov 8, 2021 [EP98]

Posted on Monday, Nov 8, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Economy, Syria, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh, China, Genocide, Israel, Middle East, Russia | Series: COG

The State of Affairs in Lebanon A Conversation with Dr. Ohannes Geukjian and Vera Yacoubian

Topics:

  • A year after the Beirut Explosion, what’s the state of investigations?
  • Has Anyone been held Accountable?
  • Who are the Internal and External Players in Lebanon?
  • What’s the State and Future of the Armenian Community in Lebanon?

Guests:

  • Dr. Ohannes Geukjian
  • Vera Yacoubian

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
  • Katia Peltekian TW/@KatiaPeltekian

Episode 98: Recorded on Saturday, November 6, 2021 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20211108.html

State of Affairs in Lebanon & the Armenians a Year After the Beirut Explosion | Ep #98 - Nov 8, 2021 [EP98]

Posted on Monday, Nov 8, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Economy, Syria, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh, China, Genocide, Israel, Middle East, Russia

The State of Affairs in Lebanon A Conversation with Dr. Ohannes Geukjian and Vera Yacoubian

Topics:

  • A year after the Beirut Explosion, what’s the state of investigations?
  • Has Anyone been held Accountable?
  • Who are the Internal and External Players in Lebanon?
  • What’s the State and Future of the Armenian Community in Lebanon?

Guests:

  • Dr. Ohannes Geukjian
  • Vera Yacoubian

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq
  • Katia Peltekian TW/@KatiaPeltekian

Episode 98: Recorded on Saturday, November 6, 2021 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20211108.html

Pashinyan Shuns NK | TARC 2.0 | Taliban 2.0 | World Affairs & Pol Analysis | Ep #88 - Sep 5, 2021 [EP88]

Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, Ukraine, Genocide, Syria, Israel | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 5, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan & Co. Shun Artsakh Independence
  • Turkey-Armenia Reconciliation Reconstituted?
  • Afghanistan: Taliban 2.0?
  • State of World Affairs
  • State of Political Analysis

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian TW/@AsbedK

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode #88 | Recorded: September 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210905.html

Pashinyan Shuns NK | TARC 2.0 | Taliban 2.0 | World Affairs & Pol Analysis | Ep #88 - Sep 5, 2021 [EP88]

Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, Ukraine, Genocide, Syria, Israel

ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 5, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan & Co. Shun Artsakh Independence
  • Turkey-Armenia Reconciliation Reconstituted?
  • Afghanistan: Taliban 2.0?
  • State of World Affairs
  • State of Political Analysis

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian TW/@AsbedK

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode #88 | Recorded: September 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210905.html

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap & Challenges - Conversation with Giro Manoyan | (Ep #69) - June 11, 2021 [EP69]

Posted on Friday, Jun 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Church, Economy, Iran, Lebanon, Middle East | Series: COG

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap and Challenges

Guest

  • Giro Manoyan has been a member of the ARF-D Bureau since 2015. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 1976. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, as well as the Editor in Chief of the Horizon Armenian Weekly. In 1999 he moved to Yerevan and has served as the Executive Director of the Bureau of the ARF-D, in charge of the Armenian Cause, Hai Tahd Central Committee.

Topics

  • The ARF in the Politics of Armenia
  • On the War in 2020
  • On the Upcoming Elections in 2021
  • On the
 Read More

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap & Challenges - Conversation with Giro Manoyan | (Ep #69) - June 11, 2021 [EP69]

Posted on Friday, Jun 11, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Church, Economy, Iran, Lebanon, Middle East

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun: Roadmap and Challenges

Guest

  • Giro Manoyan has been a member of the ARF-D Bureau since 2015. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, he moved to Montreal, Canada in 1976. He has served as the Executive Secretary of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, as well as the Editor in Chief of the Horizon Armenian Weekly. In 1999 he moved to Yerevan and has served as the Executive Director of the Bureau of the ARF-D, in charge of the Armenian Cause, Hai Tahd Central Committee.

Topics

  • The ARF in the Politics of Armenia
  • On the War in 2020
  • On the Upcoming Elections in 2021
  • On the
 Read More

Kocharyan Closes In on Pashinyan’s Lead | Pashinyan Visits Europe | (Ep #66) - June 6, 2021 [EP66]

Posted on Sunday, Jun 6, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Artsakh, Syria | Series: WIR

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 6, 2021

Topics:

  • Kocharyan Closes in on Pashinyan in Election Polls
  • Pashinyan Visits Europe

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210606.html

Episode 66 | Recorded: June 6, 2021