YEREVAN, May 15, 2026 – While the Armenian authorities are attempting to leverage the EU community summit held in Yerevan on May 4-5 for their own PR, particularly emphasizing French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Armenia to highlight their alleged sovereignty and legitimacy, reports have emerged of a scandalous incident during Macron’s visit to Gyumri, which reportedly astonished the French President and his delegation, exposing the “democratic” customs established in Armenia.
Canceled School Visit and Security Confrontation
On May 5, the day after the summit began in Yerevan, Macron and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Gyumri. A large concert was held in the city’s central square, from where Macron departed for Zvartnots Airport to return to France. However, a planned visit to School No. 10 in Gyumri, a French-oriented school built with French efforts after the devastating 1988 earthquake, did not take place.
Sources indicate that the school’s teaching staff and students had been preparing for a joint visit by the French President and the Armenian Prime Minister for nearly three months. The school even underwent cosmetic renovations, and strict security measures were implemented on the day of the visit, with the area thoroughly searched and all teachers and students entering the school meticulously screened with metal detectors.
At the last minute, the school staff was informed that Macron would not be coming due to time constraints. In reality, Macron and his delegation, who traveled to Gyumri by helicopter, were on time, but Pashinyan was late, causing the school visit to be canceled.
Invitation to the Concert and a Push-and-Shove Incident
Macron’s staff offered the school principal to move their greetings and organized event to Vardanants Square, where an evening concert, “Musical Bridge: Armenia-France,” was scheduled. They explained that the French President’s schedule was tight, and they could not deviate from the planned program. The school administration agreed.
Upon receiving the invitation from the esteemed guest, the school’s students and teachers headed to Vardanants Square and attempted to move backstage to present their event prepared for Macron’s visit. However, they were met with resistance from Pashinyan’s security detail. The area was cordoned off by his bodyguards because Pashinyan was scheduled to speak from the stage before the concert.
The principal attempted to explain that the invitation came from the French guest, but sources reported a push-and-shove incident, with the principal reportedly falling. Macron’s staff intervened, confirming that the French President had extended the invitation, and expressed their astonishment at the rude behavior of Pashinyan’s bodyguards. Despite this, the school administration was forced to yield and could only manage to take a photo with the French President.
Official Statement from the School
Attempts to contact school principal Liana Vardanyan were unsuccessful. However, a message posted on the school’s Facebook page regarding that day confirmed that Macron’s visit to the school did not take place, and he personally invited them to the square.
The message states: “On May 5, 2026, an unprecedented event took place at Gyumri Basic School No. 10. The EU delegation that arrived in Armenia was hosted in Gyumri. French ministers – Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for European Affairs; Alice Rufo, Minister Plenipotentiary for Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs; Michel Fournier, Minister of Agriculture; Julie For, Deputy Ambassador of France, and a number of other high-ranking French officials visited our school, where students greeted them with Armenian dances and French songs. At the khachkar located in the schoolyard, the French guests paid tribute to the innocent victims of the devastating 1988 earthquake. At the special invitation of French President Mr. Macron, the students participated in the ‘Musical Bridge: Armenia-France’ concert held in Gyumri.”
This incident raises questions about the coordination and professionalism of security arrangements during high-level international visits and highlights potential underlying tensions within the host country’s political landscape.
Source: 7or.am
