France to deliver new batch of arms to Armenia – Le Figaro

PanARMENIAN.Net - France is set to deliver a new batch of armaments to Armenia on Thursday, February 22, according to a report from Le Figaro.

French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu is to travel to Armenia on Thursday for a two-day visit as tensions mount with Yerevan's arch-enemy Azerbaijan.

Lecornu's trip, the first by a French defence minister to the small South Caucasus nation, comes after French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about a "risk of escalation" between Armenia and Azerbaijan as he received Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday.

Pashinyan has warned that Azerbaijan is preparing for a "full-scale war" with its longtime foe after decades of tensions over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"France and Armenia have a historic relationship of friendship, but the defence relationship has not been at the level of the intensity of the bilateral relationship," Lecornu's office said, according to AFP.

In October 2023, France announced the sale of defensive equipment to Armenia, drawing anger from Azerbaijan.

That deal was announced weeks after Baku seized the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatists.

Lecornu at the time said Armenia would buy three Ground Master 200 (GM200) radar systems from French defence group Thales.

Armenia has also signed a contract to buy night-vision goggles from the French group Safran, and the French army is also set to train Armenian troops this year.