Olivier Decottignies has been appointed as the new Ambassador of France to Armenia, according to Denis Djorkaeff, the Honorary Consul of Armenia in France.
Olivier Decottignies, a career diplomat from France, is currently serving as the Consul of France in Iraqi Kurdistan. From 2015 to 2016, he served as a Diplomat-in-Residence at the Washington Institute. Between 2012 and 2015, he held the position of Second Counselor at the French Embassy in Iran, overseeing nuclear affairs and Iran’s regional policy. Prior to that, he worked at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, focusing on military and political matters, particularly NATO and EU operations in Libya, the Balkans, and the Caucasus.
“The outgoing Ambassador Ann Luyau spent less than two years in her position, and in my view, the main factor for her swift replacement is her professional background, specifically her specialization in education and humanitarian cooperation.
In this particular field, Armenian-French relations have already reached significant development, thus necessitating a change in the ambassador’s profile.
Furthermore, Madame Luyau was appointed by the previous French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who displayed some restraint in matters of military and political cooperation. However, the new Minister, Catherine Colonna, a member of Jacques Chirac’s team, actively implements Macron’s program to strengthen this cooperation.
Hence, Paris has made the decision to appoint a military attaché in Yerevan and now a new ambassador. Let’s take a look at his track record: the Iranian nuclear program, Franco-American relations, NATO, Lebanon, the Caucasus, and more. These are all critical points in the region that directly relate to Armenia’s security.
In other words, a diplomat with expertise in military and political cooperation between France and Armenia is being sent to Yerevan. We will closely monitor the situation.”, political expert Ernest Vardanyan commented on the new appointment
