French President Emmanuel Macron said that he does not consider the open support for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to be interference in Armenia’s internal affairs. He stated this at a joint press conference with Pashinyan in Yerevan on Tuesday, answering the question of whether his statements supporting the Armenian PM are interference and how they differ from other forms of it.

In response, Macron brought an argument that was very reminiscent of the "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" quote from George Orwell’s 1945 novel, Animal Farm. According to the French president, there is covert interference and open interference, and in his opinion, the latter is acceptable.

Macron assured that he openly supports his colleague, whom he has trusted for 8 years, and supports him in the same way that he supported Moldovan President Maia Sandu. He added that the European leaders’ visit to Yerevan also speaks of support.

This is not the same as manipulation through the media and falsifications, which are trying to destabilize the situation in a country of law, Macron believes. He added that one cannot talk about interference, because it is “open-faced interference,” but there is interference by foreign agents acting on the orders of Moscow and they are trying to falsify democracy.