BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 9. France's President, Emmanuel Macron, has nominated a youthful politician, Gabriel Attal, as Prime Minister.
Who is Gabriel Attal?
Gabriel Attal was born on March 16, 1989, in Clamart. Attal, 34, became the youngest prime minister in French history.
In 2006, he joined the Socialist Party; later, in 2016, he changed the party to the "Forward!" (currently "Renaissance").
While a Socialist Party member, Attal backed Segolene Royal's presidential bid in 2007. After joining the "Forward!" party, he backed Emmanuel Macron's presidential campaign in 2017.
Despite his youth, Attal has a wealth of experience in several roles inside the French government. From October 16, 2018 to July 6, 2020, he served as Secretary of State to the Minister of National Education and Youth. On July 6, 2020, he was named Secretary of State to the Prime Minister and the French government's official representative.
From May 20, 2022 to July 20, 2023, Attal served as Minister delegate for Public Accounts, reporting to the Minister of the Economy, Finance, Industrial, and Digital Sovereignty. Following that, he was appointed Minister of National Education and Youth, a position he held until his most recent appointment.
Gabriel Attal's partner is Stephane Sejournet, a French politician and member of the European Parliament who leads the current French president's party (the Renaissance).
Is it a coincidence that Macron picked the partner of his party's leader as Prime Minister? Hardly, but this is not the case.
Stephane Sejournet is an ardent Armenian supporter who advocates for Armenian concerns in both France and the European Parliament. For example, he initiated multiple anti-Azerbaijani resolutions passed by the European Parliament.
Stephane Sejourne is proud of his efforts to "protect" Armenians, about which he often shares publications on his social networks.
Recently, he called on Europe to support the Armenians: "We support the Armenian people. France cannot act alone. Europe must play its role".
The partner of new French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's advocacy for Armenian interests will undoubtedly have an impact on the latter's posture.
In other words, if anyone had hoped that changing the head of government would result in a shift in France's current biased posture toward Azerbaijan, this is simply a naive misbelief.
In this situation, the "hope" died first, rather than last.