French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on the sidelines of the 8th European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Yerevan, pledged to personally raise the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, telling reporters that he intends to coordinate with Armenian leadership before deciding on the format of those talks.
“First, I will discuss this with the President and Prime Minister of Armenia. After that, I will call President Aliyev, and together we will work out the appropriate format for further action, either in person or through that phone call,” Macron said in response to a question from a NEWS.am correspondent. “You can count on me. I deeply believe in this peace process.”
Macron added that France would continue to play a mediating role in the region, emphasizing the importance of respecting international law. “You know that we always try to play our role in mediating and helping. I believe in respect for international law, and I am very pleased that in recent months there has been a reduction in tensions and a new phase has begun. I think it is very important to support this new phase of peace and stability. So we must do everything we can to improve the situation,” the French president said.
Macron arrived in Yerevan on Sunday evening for a three-day state visit and was warmly received in the Armenian capital. Shortly after arriving, he took an informal walk through the city center alongside Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, stopping to chat and take photographs with residents.
In a post on X that evening, Macron wrote: “Very happy to be back in Armenia. Thank you for the warm welcome! As part of the European Political Community tomorrow, we will continue to build a more sovereign Europe. Then, together with my friend Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, we will seal a strategic partnership between our countries.”
Speaking at the EPC Summit on Monday, Macron highlighted the significance of holding the gathering in Yerevan, framing it as confirmation of the geopolitical path Armenia has taken in recent years. “I think it was very important to hold the 8th meeting of the European Political Community here in Yerevan,” he said, adding that the summit confirmed the direction Armenia has chosen.
The French president was direct about the magnitude of the shift, noting that the country was once viewed as firmly within Moscow’s orbit. “Let’s be honest, no one would have come here eight years ago,” Macron said. “The fact that we now see so many first visits to your country is truly a positive sign.” He added that Armenia had previously been regarded by many countries as “a de facto satellite of Russia.”
Macron credited Pashinyan personally with reshaping Armenia’s trajectory. “Since the Velvet Revolution initiated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and thanks to his policy in recent years of building peace and turning towards Europe, as well as the commitments made to Europe, we are opening a new era,” he said. He also praised Pashinyan for having “organized the revolution, chose to de-risk the country, and ultimately benefited from it.”
The French president and Prime Minister Pashinyan are set to formalize a strategic partnership between France and Armenia during the visit, which Macron previewed in his arrival post and reiterated upon landing in Yerevan. “Together with my friend Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, we will formalize a strategic partnership between our countries,” he said.
Macron’s visit comes alongside a wider diplomatic surge in Yerevan, with around 50 high-level delegations attending the EPC Summit, including European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The 8th EPC Summit on May 4 will be followed on May 5 by the inaugural Armenia–European Union Summit.
