Emmanuel Macron will travel to Armenia from Sunday 3rd to Tuesday 5th May. A first in eight years. On the agenda: the signing of strategic agreements, cooperation in defense matters, and closer ties with the European Union.
Emmanuel Macron’s schedule is filling up. Starting this Sunday, May 3rd, the President of the Republic will visit Armenia until Tuesday, May 5th, with a packed program as detailed by Le Figaro.
The French head of state will arrive in Yerevan in a somewhat unique context. The Armenian capital will first host a summit of the European Political Community (EPC), followed by a EU-Armenia summit. Macron will then continue with a bilateral state visit, the first of its kind with this country, which he last visited in 2018 for a Francophonie summit.
On the agenda: the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Prime Minister Nikol Pachinian. Defense cooperation plays a significant role in this agreement, with the delivery of air defense radars to the Armenian army and an order of 36 Caesar cannons by 2024. French military instructors are also training soldiers on-site, as reported by RTL.
In terms of civilian matters, transportation agreements are expected. In a statement released on Thursday, April 30, the Elysée mentioned “potential perspectives for Airbus” and “the strong commitment of the French state” in the construction of a tunnel on the country’s north-south road axis.
Also, on Tuesday, May 5th, Emmanuel Macron will visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial. He will then visit the Matenadaran, a museum housing one of the world’s largest collections of ancient manuscripts, where a cooperation agreement will be signed with the National Library of France. The President and Nikol Pachinian will also travel to Gyumri, a city in the northwest devastated by an earthquake in 1988 that killed around 25,000 people.
This diplomatic visit is also another opportunity for Armenia to get closer to the European Union. The peace agreement signed with Azerbaijan in August 2025, after decades of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, marks a “new era of regional cooperation,” according to the Elysée. Paris aims to seize this opportunity.
Published on May 2nd at 5:25 pm by Alexandra Frenkel, 6Medias.
