The results achieved by Armenia were made possible by bold decisions in recent years, and they open up new prospects for the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said in Yerevan.

“Today’s achievements were made possible by the boldness shown in recent years. This opens up new opportunities for Armenia,” he noted.

At the same time, the French leader emphasized that the “Armenia moment” should turn into a broader regional process.

“However, I would like the ‘Armenia moment’ to also become the moment of the entire Caucasus. I have two convictions: first, the South Caucasus should not be an arena for the competition of empires, and second, the region can become a crossroads between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East,” Macron said.

According to him, the key condition for this is the opening of borders.

“That is why it is necessary to [open the borders. I hope that the neighbors [of Armenia] will show the same courage as you, and follow the path of peace, democracy, and prosperity. The borders must be fully opened, including with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and they must also operate without restrictions with Georgia,” the French president emphasized.

He also made a reference to the words of slain Istanbul Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, noting the need to overcome the barriers between peoples.

“As Hrant Dink used to say, it is necessary to destroy the barriers that turn close peoples into distant neighbors,” Macron said.

The French leader welcomed the first steps taken towards normalization.

“We [i.e. France] welcome the steps taken to eliminate trade restrictions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the partial [re]opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey for humanitarian purposes. But this is only the beginning: the borders must be fully [re]opened,” he said.

Macron stressed that France will continue to support and assist Armenia.

“France supports Armenia’s efforts and will stand with it. Armenia is laying the foundations for peace in the entire region,” he noted.

At the same time, he pointed to a change in approaches to security issues.

“For a long time, it was believed that Armenia’s security was possible only under Russian patronage. The 2020 war, everything you went through, the tragedy that many [Armenian] families went through, showed that this was not the patronage that many imagined. We saw that Russia abandoned Armenia, and we realized that these expectations did not correspond to reality, while everyone seemed to be accustomed to thinking that it [i.e. Russia] should be the guarantor of the region, because the South Caucasus seemed to always be under someone's protection... Armenia proved that another path is possible—the democratic path that began in 2018, the path of peace and independent development, as well as the path without external domination," the French president stated.

"I am convinced that the entire region should follow this example," Macron concluded.