Macron backs Armenia’s pro-Europe PM as re-election campaign draws to close

French president pitches in for Nikol Pashinyan, who faces stiff challenge from pro-Russia parties in vote next month Emmanuel Macron has made an unabashed pre-election pitch on behalf of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, saying the country’s destiny lay with Europe. The French president also accused Russia of abandoning Armenia after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war that led to Azerbaijan displacing tens of thousands of Armenians.