Macron backs Armenia’s pro-Europe PM as re-election campaign draws to close

Emmanuel Macron has made an unabashed pre-election pitch on behalf of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, saying the country’s destiny lay with Europe. The French president also accused Russia of abandoning Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that led to Azerbaijan displacing tens of thousands of Armenians. Pashinyan, who – unlike the leaders of neighbouring Georgia – is increasingly open about his determination to side with Europe , faces a tough challenge to be re-elected next month. Three more pro-Russia or nationalist parties are trying to end his eight-year rule and accuse him of making too many concessions to Azerbaijan in an effort to win peace. They are also likely to attack Macron for interfering in Armenia internal politics. He was a on a state visit in which he was trying to show that choosing Europe was not a geopolitical theory, but a practical point of departure for ordinary Armenians. France has one of the largest Armenian expatriate communities in Europe, and Macron has long championed a European path for Yerevan. It was with his encouragement that more than 40 European leaders gathered in Yerevan on Monday under the banner of the European Political Community, a body that brings together EU and non-EU countries. At the first summit between Armenia and EU on Tuesday morning, the bloc offered visa and trade liberalisation. …