Turkish President Criticizes France for Supplying Armored Vehicles to Armenia as 'Provocation'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned France's decision to supply 50 Bastion armored vehicles to Armenia, denouncing it as a deliberate "provocation." During a press interaction while on a state visit to Greece on Friday, Erdogan urged Yerevan to prioritize peace efforts instead of succumbing to what he termed as traps set by other countries.

"France's actions amount to mere provocation. It's essential for France to understand that it does not benefit Armenia; instead, it inflicts harm," Erdogan stated, addressing a group of accompanying journalists. He further highlighted France's previous support to Armenia, suggesting that it yielded no tangible results.

This criticism comes in the wake of the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna's announcement made during her visit to Armenia in October. She had disclosed Paris's decision to supply military equipment to Armenian forces post-Azerbaijan's occupation of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region.

The ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh saw over 100,000 Armenians forcibly leaving their homes after Azerbaijan initiated a war in September, compelling indigenous Armenians to disarmament within a day of the offensive. 

As previously reported on The Armenian Report, France has already delivered 24 Bastion armored vehicles, with the remaining 26 in production and slated for future delivery. Additionally, an internal document from the French Senate highlighted Armenia's recent order of three GM200 radars from the French company Thales, with ongoing discussions for the procurement of French-made Mistral 3 surface-to-air missiles. The document also suggested considering the delivery of France's Caesar self-propelled howitzer artillery system.

In further development, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev jointly announced “confidence-building” measures, including the release of prisoners of war from both sides and mutual support in international forums such as the Cop28 climate summit.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry officially endorsed these measures in a statement issued on Friday, expressing hope for an impending peace agreement between both countries. Turkey supported Azerbaijan during the 2020 war against Nagorno-Karabakh, providing sophisticated weaponry, including armed drones and aid through Syrian fighters.

The tension persists between Turkey and France over the latter's military support to Armenia, reflecting the deep-seated geopolitical complexities and historical alliances in the region.