By Alexander Pracht
In September 2023, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced that the country would open a consulate in Syunik province, Armenia’s southernmost province. Speaking before the French parliament, she did not specify the exact location of the future mission but framed the decision as part of France’s broader support for Armenia’s territorial integrity.
However, the scope of France’s diplomatic presence in Syunik turned out to be more limited than initially suggested. In response to an inquiry from CivilNet, the French embassy in Yerevan clarified last week that it plans to open a consular agency, not a full consulate general, in the town of Goris, adding that the opening would take place “soon.”
France’s choice of Goris is tied to the town’s longstanding cultural ties with the Francophone world. Considered one of the most French-speaking towns in Armenia, Goris has hosted a French cultural center since 2006. The center has played an active role in promoting the French language and culture in the region, including supporting French teaching for local schoolchildren.
Why do the consulates matter?
Azerbaijan’s persistent claims to a transport corridor through Armenia’s southern Syunik province without customs or border controls have cast a long shadow over the region’s future. If Azerbaijan were to launch a full-scale invasion of Armenia, military analysts widely agree that Syunik would be its primary target. Positioned between mainland Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhichevan, the narrow and mountainous region is of immense strategic importance.
A consulate is a diplomatic mission that typically operates outside a country’s capital, offering services to its nationals, such as passport renewals or legal assistance, so they don’t need to travel to the embassy. But in certain cases, the establishment of a consulate plays a more symbolic or political role, signaling a diplomatic position rather than serving purely utilitarian functions.
A notable example of this was during Donald Trump’s presidency, when the United States pledged to open a consulate in Dakhla, a city in the part of Western Sahara controlled by Morocco. This territory, claimed by both Morocco and the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, has long been the subject of international dispute. The U.S. decision was part of the broader Abraham Accords process, offered in exchange for Morocco’s agreement to normalize relations with Israel.
Although the consulate in Dakhla has yet to open, the Biden administration reaffirmed the plan last year, and its establishment now appears to be only a matter of time. In doing so, Washington effectively reiterated its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
In a clear signal of geopolitical alignment, Iran, the country most vocally opposed to Baku’s “corridor” aspirations and any changes to regional borders, moved quickly to establish a consulate in Kapan, Syunik’s administrative center. The move came just weeks after Azerbaijan’s incursion into Armenia in September 2022. Tehran’s decision was widely interpreted as a gesture of support for Armenia’s territorial integrity and a declaration that, in its view, Syunik remains indisputably Armenian land.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Kapan, then-Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed the political significance of the step. “The Islamic Republic of Iran regards the security of Armenia and the region as its own security,” he declared. “Our policy is to respect territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders.”
Russia’s consulate
Russia followed Iran and voiced plans to establish a consulate in Syunik in late May 2023, when its foreign ministry representative Sergey Paltov revealed that the idea was discussed during a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. According to Paltov, the Armenian side had given its approval to the initiative. Later in October that year, the Russian embassy in Yerevan announced the decision formally.
Since then, however, speculation has emerged in the Armenian media, citing anonymous diplomatic sources, that Armenia, despite its initial green light, may now be quietly obstructing the process. According to these reports, Yerevan is no longer actively facilitating the consulate’s opening. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova hinted at mounting frustration over the delay last November.
“Unfortunately, the situation has not changed. The Armenian side gave its principled consent to the opening of a Russian Consulate General in Kapan. Accordingly, the Russian side has requested an exequatur for the consul general, that is, formal recognition. We are waiting for a response. Why the Armenian side has not sent us the necessary documents is a question not for us, but for Yerevan,” Zakharova said.
During his official visit to Yerevan on Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed at a press briefing that the idea of launching the Kapan consulate had not been abandoned. “The issue was discussed during our talks today,” he revealed.
In addition to its embassy in Yerevan, Russia’s only consulate in Armenia is in Gyumri, the country’s second largest city, opened in 2002.
CivilNet reached out to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry with an inquiry requesting updates on the opening of the Russian and French missions; no response had been received as of publication.
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