The French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna, is in Armenia today, to examine the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan which until 2 weeks ago had a sizeable ethnic Armenian population. But now the enclave is empty, as more than 100,000 of its former residents have crossed the border and now live in Armenia.
Colonna is the first Western minister to visit Armenia since the Azeri operation, and she says she's there "to reaffirm France's support to Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity".
The French Foreign Minister will also be assessing Armenia's needs as it faces this huge influx of refugees, as well as the threat that some fear of Azerbaijani military operations on its territory.
That fear is compounded by the sense that France – and the West more generally – did not take a strong position on Nagorno-Karabakh, which could serve to embolden the Azeris if they decide to venture beyond their borders.
So what is the purpose of this visit to Armenia by the French Foreign Minister? Can France offer Armenia any kind of security guarantees? Could the EU be poised to step in and SANCTION Baku? And what will become of the more than 100,000 Ethnic Armenians who've been forced to flee?
Produced by Charles Wente, Josephine Joly and Imen Mellaz.
- Richard GIRAGOSIAN, Director, Regional Studies Center
- Laurent LEYLEKIAN, Political Analyst
- Catherine NORRIS TRENT, FRANCE 24 Senior Correspondent
- Kavus Abushov, Associate Professor of Political Science, ADA University