Russian political analyst Stanislav Tarasov thinks that French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the South Caucasus was an event of utmost importance.

“The visit took place after Paris demonstrated heightened interest in the developments in North Africa and Middle East to strengthen its influence there. It's enough to remember that Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron appeared in Libya several hours before the arrival of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Besides, France shows interest in Syria, whose relations with Turkey have recently deteriorated. Paris as is plants 'red flags' around Turkey,” Tarasov told Analitika.at.ua.

“There is an impression that France eyes Armenia as an ally, Georgia as a fellow-traveler and Azerbaijan as an opponent,” he said.

According to Tarasov, France plans a large-scale political operation in the region. “First, it may press for resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict with due account taken of historical compensation Turks owe to Armenia and compelling them to betray the main ally - Azerbaijan. Then, steps towards Iran will follow in order to resolve the nuclear issue and create geopolitical counterbalance to Turkey and, at the same time, get access to energy resources of the Persian Gulf,” he said.