It is an almost obligatory passage, among certain candidates or elected officials of the right.
Valérie Pécresse, LR candidate for the 2022 presidential election, is traveling to Armenia from December 20 to 23.
A few days before Christmas, the symbolism is obvious: it is a question of clearly showing its support for the Christians of the East, a persecuted population and in strong demographic decline since the beginning of the 20th century.
A land bruised by the recent resurgence of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh against Azerbaijan, which has become a real issue for the right-wing electoral campaign: a few days earlier, it was the candidate Éric Zemmour who went there.
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The recent defeat of the Christian Armenians against the Muslim Azeris, supported by Erdogan, was thus perceived in France, in the currents of the identity and conservative right, as a new manifestation of a war of civilization, a theme sensitive to part of the Catholic electorate of Eric Zemmour or Valérie Pécresse.
The situation in this Caucasian Republic had enabled the candidate and former columnist of
Le Figaro
to illustrate his theory of wars of civilization: “
Armenia is in danger. It was already a martyr land during the time of the Ottoman Empire and massacres such as the Armenian genocide. Again, this country is harassed, and by its neighbor Azerbaijan, and especially by Turkey behind. This is at the heart of civilization war
"
,
he had argued during a press conference at its Paris headquarters before leaving.
But the right-wing candidates also intend to subscribe to a secular tradition in which France, since Saint Louis, then under Napoleon III and during the First World War, has always displayed itself as the protector of Eastern Christians.
A heritage that is sometimes ignored but to which the currents of the Catholic right have always shown themselves to be attached.
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For her part, Valérie Pécresse is here in line with the unfortunate LR candidate for the 2017 presidential election François Fillon, who had devoted a good part of his campaign to this subject, going several times to Iraqi Kurdistan to visit there refugee camps. François Fillon had also participated in a meeting in support of the Christians of the East, at the winter circus in June 2015, in the presence of Valérie Pécresse, at the time member of the 2nd district of Yvelines and of the senator of the Vendée Bruno Retailleau - who is now on the trip of the LR candidate for the 2022 presidential election in Armenia.
Bruno Retailleau has also carefully prepared the trip of Valérie Pécresse to Armenia.
"What is happening there concerns us," he
told
Le Monde
.
Because we have a common history, centuries-old ties, we share a cultural struggle, of civilization.
"" What the Christians of the East are undergoing shows what separatism taken to the extreme could be, "
adds Annie Genevard, Member of Parliament for Doubs and number two in the party.
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Valérie Pécresse is aware that part of the Catholic electorate is currently seduced by the candidacy of candidate Zemmour.
As evidenced, in particular, the rallying of the Conservative Movement, formerly "Common sense" - created in 2013 to demonstrate against marriage for all -, to Éric Zemmour, after the investiture of Valérie Pécresse at the LR congress.
The objective is therefore to reassure its Catholic electorate, sometimes disappointed by its reversals on marriage for all and the PMA.
With this first trip abroad, accompanied by former European Commissioner Michel Barnier, the candidate also wishes to display her vision of Europe and of Europe's foreign policy - in the face of current tensions with Erdogan's Turkey. .
