French Weapons Sales to Armenia Spark Criticism From Baku, Moscow

Armenia signals intention to quit Russian-led security bloc.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) greets Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a conference marking the 30 years of the opening of the diplomatic relations between France and Armenia in Paris on March 9, 2022. Christophe Petit Tesson/AFP via Getty Images

A French pledge to sell advanced artillery systems to Armenia has drawn angry responses from both Azerbaijan—Armenia’s perennial foe in the South Caucasus region—and Moscow.

“We do not consider France’s policy regarding the South Caucasus to be helpful,” Hikmet Hajiyev, an adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said on June 19.