French-Armenian Journalist Makes Sensational Revelations About Ambassador in Armenia

The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of France to Armenia, Ann Luyon, is set to be dismissed soon. This information has been circulating widely on the social media platform Twitter, as reported by ‘Hraparak’.

"There is information that the ambassador's dismissal is just days away, and the name of the new ambassador is already known: Olivier Decottignies. Currently, he holds the position of Consul of France in Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan). The reason for the imminent dismissal of the French ambassador in Armenia may be a document from HSBC bank published by the well-known French-Armenian journalist Leo Nikolian, which has been circulating on Twitter. The document reveals that on November 25, 2022, $3.1 million was deposited into Ambassador Ann Luyon’s account. This could have a significant impact on the upcoming visit of French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, to Armenia, as she is expected to be in Yerevan at the end of April.

When answering our questions, Leo Nikolian stated that he received the scandalous document from his sources. “The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of France opened the bank account secretly. He had no right to have such an account; he could only have one in France. Even if he has one, he is obliged to declare it. Where did the ambassador get that $3 million? He received $1 million from 'Veolia Water', while the remaining $2 million is from Azerbaijan,” Nikolian revealed sensationally.

The press officer of the French embassy denied this information in a phone conversation with us, referencing the less-known electronic publication Courrier d’Erevan. “We sent the denial to Courrier d’Erevan; we also posted their publication on our Facebook page,” reported the embassy’s press officer.

Opening the embassy’s Facebook page, we read: “The response of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French embassy to false news directed at Ambassador Ann Luyon. The defamatory and malicious news against Ambassador Ann Luyon has no basis. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French embassy in Armenia officially deny these rumors and condemn the use of forged documents. The ambassador reserves the right to take legal action on the matter. Ambassador Ann Luyon works in Yerevan, serving French-Armenian relations and the friendship of our two countries.”

We asked the press officer what kind of publication Courrier d’Erevan is, what its connection to the embassy is, and why the embassy does not post its denial on its official page, does not mention specific details on what is being denied, but rather spreads information about some publication. “Courrier d’Erevan is a French media outlet in Armenia. There is no denial on the official website. They asked us questions, just like you did. Visit our embassy’s page, and you will see,” said the press officer.

However, the information we mentioned has gained millions of views on social media platforms. Why is the denial not placed on your official site? “Let us decide that, shall we? They sent a written inquiry, and we responded. We deny all that information. I think it’s wrong to give Leo Nikolian that much importance and post such information on the site, someone like Leo Nikolian, who is a pro-Kremlin figure and fabricates stories, creating false defamation against the ambassador,” the officer stated.

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