Macron: Russia abandoned Armenia during 2020 war

French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed that Armenia has a “European calling and destiny,” portraying the country’s current trajectory as a historic opportunity while sharply questioning Russia’s role as a security guarantor in the South Caucasus.

Speaking at the Yerevan Dialogue international forum in the Armenian capital on Tuesday, Macron praised what he described as Armenia’s political momentum and reform efforts, saying the country had entered a decisive period of transformation.

“This is Armenia’s moment,” Macron said, adding that France intends to remain a close partner to Yerevan.

He also cautioned against treating the South Caucasus as an arena for geopolitical rivalry, warning that external powers should not regard the region as a “prize” while fostering divisions among local states.

Macron challenged the long-standing assumption that Armenia’s security could be ensured solely through reliance on Russia.

“For a long time, many believed Armenia’s fate could only be secured under Russia’s protective wing,” he said, referring to the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. “The 2020 war and what followed showed that this was not the protection many had imagined. Russia abandoned Armenia.”

He added that the conflict and its aftermath exposed the limits of expectations placed on a single external security guarantor in the region.

Macron also pointed to the change of power in Armenia in 2018 as the beginning of a democratic path he said should be supported, adding he believed Georgia likewise had a “European destiny”.