Yerevan says presence of debunked French ambassador in its territory gives them comfort
Elnur Enveroglu
Read moreAlthough the fact that the European Union Mission and especially Olivier Decottignies, the ambassador of France to Armenia, are standing guard day and night near the borders of Armenia with Azerbaijan is a beacon of hope for Yerevan, it cannot be considered a very pleasant event for the atmosphere of the South Caucasus. It is known that in the region, Yerevan has always been the most proactive country in involving third parties when it comes to the security of its border, or, literally, its territorial integrity. This has always raised questions among the states of the region, especially for Azerbaijan, which is in a state of conflict.
The question is, what can the EU observer mission do in the Armenian village of Norabak, 4 km away from the border?
The Armenian side notes that the presence of European observers, and especially the French ambassador Olivier Decottignies, whose name has recently become popular in social networks in a negative sense, supposedly gives comfort to the "isolated and vulnerable population" in the area.
We wonder what sort of comfort Ambassador Decottignies, whom the Armenian blogger debunked and shared his embarrassing photos, gives to the poor Armenian community.
We are sure that the Armenian side will say the following about bringing the EU Mission group near the border: this is the sovereign territory of Armenia, and this is our affair.
However, the purpose is not to discuss what is happening on the territory of Armenia but to discuss its final results. Usually, third parties take a neutral and impartial position to reduce tensions and spread peace in the region or between parties. However, the processes have taken such a picture that the third party somehow loves Armenia more than itself and even shows special antipathy towards Azerbaijan. For example, we wouldn't be wrong if we said that we saw this last time at the PACE winter session.
We know that Armenia is not sure what it is working for in the region, but we are sure that the EU mission group, as well as the French side, is trying to establish its entire strategy for purposes that are not in favour of Azerbaijan by establishing itself in Armenia. The sale of lethal weapons to Armenia and the military agreement between Yerevan and Paris do not indicate a well-intentioned step.
In short, the European Union Mission is more worried than Armenia that Azerbaijan will suddenly move one step further from the borders of Armenia. This is just the spontaneous thinking of the forces supporting the occupation. Azerbaijan has never set eyes on the territories of neighbouring states. On the contrary, it showed restraint on the empty promises made regarding the liberation of the occupied territories for thirty years.
However, the results seen today make Azerbaijan take more decisive steps. Therefore, neither the mission group nor the French delegation should waste their time around the border.
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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ Deputy Editor-in-Chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1
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