Russian State Duma accuses Emmanuel Macron of imperial behavior after remarks on Armenia–Russia ties

Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, said in an interview with RTVI that Emmanuel Macron, who encourages Armenia to abandon what he calls Russia’s “imperial” patronage, is himself acting like a successor to his country’s imperial past, seeking “to lecture everyone.”

“There was a time when France considered itself an empire, and that time has long passed. The desire, nevertheless, to teach, instruct, and dominate, at least in the case of the French president, who is leaving his post next year, has in fact remained,” he said.

The lawmaker described Macron’s visit to Yerevan during the European Political Community summit and the first Armenia–EU summit as “an anecdote.”

“He sang a song by Charles Aznavour accompanied by a drum played by Nikol Pashinyan, and patted dogs while jogging in Yerevan. In fact, running in public is becoming Macron’s main way of making an impression in foreign capitals,” Zatulin said.

According to the deputy, the French leader “said a great many things” in his speeches at the summit and at the “Yerevan Dialogue” forum.

Zatulin believes Macron’s main goal was “to prove that there is no longer any reason for Armenia to cooperate with Russia, because real Europe, represented by him and his European Union partners, has taken Russia’s place.”