The narrative that the authorities of Armenia are trying to formulate is very unhealthy; it is obvious that this discourse was formed as a result of Turkish pressure. Tigran Yeganyan, an active member of the Armenian community in France, an orientalist, and an expert on international affairs, said this in an interview with journalist Aza Babayan—and speaking about the attempts made by Armenia’s authorities to cast doubt on the circumstances of the Armenian Genocide and remove the matter of its international recognition from the foreign policy agenda of Armenia.

“It is obvious that there are serious pressures that the Turkish and Azerbaijani axis is attempting to exert on Armenia. I myself was present at [Armenian PM] Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Paris, and I have realized that the Armenian Cause is being removed from the agenda of Armenia. He said that Armenia has a Dashnak[tsutyun] [Party] mentality, it is necessary to make the [Armenian] political thought anti-Dashnak[tsutyun]. All this is being done under Azerbaijani pressure because they were saying that Armenia is a fascist country,” added Tigran Yeganyan.

According to the orientalist, if Armenia’s authorities decide to forget about the demand for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), it will mean that the Republic of Armenia is no longer a nation-state, and the Armenians of the diaspora are no longer part of the nation.

“I believe [that] the current government of Armenia wants to destroy, depoliticize the [Armenian] diaspora. The French Armenians are the most politicized in the [Armenian] diaspora, this is a serious problem for the current authorities of Armenia,” noted Tigran Yeganyan.

When asked by the aforesaid journalist what steps the Armenian community in France is taking to resist the policies pursued by Armenia’s authorities, the active member of the Armenian community in France replied as follows: “French Armenians do not want to harm Armenia’s interests and interfere in Armenia’s internal political life; they are more cautious. But even so, there is a ‘red line’: instead of thinking of programs aimed at strengthening the [Armenian] diaspora and strengthening cooperation with Armenia, the [latter’s] authorities are weakening the [Armenian] diaspora.”

Responding to the question of how the French authorities perceive the policy pursued by the Armenian authorities, especially Nikol Pashinyan’s actions, Tigran Yeganyan said: “I cannot guarantee that they trust Nikol Pashinyan’s actions and words 100 percent. I have realized that Armenia, as the most vulnerable country in the South Caucasus and as a country that adopted pro-Western tendencies, has a certain importance. But in general, France does not have a serious interest and strategy towards Armenia. There is no serious strategy and there are no leverages for France to be able to replace the influence of other players. France is not a major player [in the region].”

And referring to the discourse in Armenia that France is partly to blame for the Armenian exodus from Artsakh because Nikol Pashinyan recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan also under French President Emmanuel Macron’s “pressure,” the international affairs expert said: “The most serious problem of Armenia’s elite is that they are waiting for foreign ‘saviors.’ France does not have that intention. It’s not like as if Emmanuel Macron will come sitting on a white horse to protect Armenia. Macron is dissatisfied with the current situation, but he does not have any leverage to use on the Azerbaijani president. Returning to your question, Macron is trying to escape accountability and place the accountability on the EU leadership. When talking about the Artsakh conflict, he always says that he cannot act alone, and needs the support of EU partners.”