Emmanuel Macron concluded his Armenia state visit on May 5 by signing a strategic partnership with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan covering defense and economic cooperation, including transport contracts with potential prospects for Airbus and French state involvement in an Armenian north-south road tunnel. The defense track adds to an existing order for three French radars, French training of Armenian soldiers and 36 Caesar howitzers ordered by Armenia in 2024. The trip wrapped a European Political Community meeting and the first EU-Armenia summit, capped by a state dinner where Macron sang Charles Aznavour's "La Bohème" with President Vahagn Khatchatourian on piano and Pashinyan on drums.

A French parliamentary report published on May 5 recommends merging France 2 with France 5, scrapping France 4 and Mouv', and cutting 1 billion euros from public broadcasting budgets. The report's author, UDR deputy Charles Alloncle, denies advocating privatization, but the commission's president, Horizons deputy Jérémie Patrier-Leitus, says its aim was "to prepare minds for privatization." RN deputy Laure Lavalette and party leader Jordan Bardella have publicly called for privatizing most of the public audiovisual sector.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said on May 5 that France has not tapped its strategic kerosene reserves and that supply is not the main issue, as the Middle East conflict pushes fuel costs to 40-45% of airline operating expenses. He will meet airlines on May 6 to discuss potential summer flight cancellations and passenger rights. Tabarot also noted that Transavia has canceled about 2% of flights in May and June, and Volotea 1%.

The French Senate on Tuesday began examining a bill by Bruno Retailleau, president of the Republicans and former interior minister, aimed at countering 'Islamist entryism.' Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who succeeded Retailleau, is preparing his own bill which he says is 'more complete' and legally rigorous. Left-wing senators have filed a motion of preliminary rejection, calling the text a 'political tract' and warning of constitutional violations.

Two months into the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, French political parties show restraint on geopolitical aspects but criticize the government over economic fallout, particularly the energy crisis. Left-wing La France Insoumise advocates price freezes, while the far-right Rassemblement National pushes for VAT cuts. The government faces pressure over fuel prices and TotalEnergies' role.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the Yerevan Dialogue, urged that the South Caucasus become a crossroads linking Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East rather than a space for external power competition. He praised Armenia's peace initiatives with Azerbaijan, called for full reopening of borders including with Türkiye, and noted that the 2020 war exposed the limits of Russian protection. Macron highlighted €4 billion in French Development Agency projects and IMF support for regional transformation, and argued for a rules-based international order.

French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, sentenced to seven years in Algeria on charges of violating anti-terrorism laws and possessing propaganda materials, has withdrawn his appeal to the Court of Cassation. His family hopes this gesture will lead to a presidential pardon from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, amid improving diplomatic relations between France and Algeria. Gleizes was arrested in 2024 while reporting on a football team.

Former French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin donated two Napoleon statuettes to the Quai d'Orsay after a TV investigation alleged they were gifts from lobbyist Robert Bourgi, paid for by former Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré and Italian businessman Gian Angelo Perrucci. The case highlights Françafrique networks and potential influence peddling, with Villepin denying knowledge of the provenance and dismissing the allegations as political maneuvers.