Politician: Macron's encouragement of Pashinyan takes a heavy toll on Armenia

Opposition politician Eduard Sharmazanov, a senior member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), has strongly criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for his continued support of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

"Macron’s encouragement of Pashinyan takes a heavy toll on Armenia and the Armenian people," Sharmazanov wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

He recalled that on October 6, 2022, Macron welcomed Pashinyan’s recognition of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as part of Azerbaijan, which led to the Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh in December 2022 and ultimately its depopulation in September-October 2023.

"Now Macron claims that the prompt signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan could open a new chapter," Sharmazanov said.

"What new chapter? A new chapter may indeed be opening, but it’s the chapter of Armenia’s transformation into a vilayet [province]," he stressed.