ArmInfo. Establishing a stable peace in the South Caucasus is one of the main goals of the European Union. Head of the EU delegation to Armenia, Vassilis Maragos, stated at the opening ceremony of the headquarters of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMA) in the city of Yeghegnadzor on November 1.
According to him, the opening of the headquarters will mark the full functioning of the EU civil mission on the territory of the Republic of Armenia. At the same time, the diplomat emphasized that from the first days of its activity (since February of this year), EUMA has made a worthy contribution to stabilizing the situation around Armenia and establishing peace between the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
As Mr. Maragos noted, at the European Political Community summit held in Granada in early October, the EU again condemned Azerbaijan's military actions against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and emphasized the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan. "We remain committed to these efforts. Humanitarian needs over 100,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh who have found refuge in Armenia are in the center of our immediate attention," he said.
The diplomat also said that they, together with the Armenian government and humanitarian organizations, are working hard to facilitate the receipt of an assistance package of 25 million euros, announced by the President of the European Commission.
According to him, the EU and Armenia are committed to further strengthening ties, working towards identifying the full potential of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and EU Economic and Investment Plan. In turn, Head of the EU observer mission in Armenia, Markus Ritter, noted that today 93 members of the mission from 23 EU member countries are operating on the territory of Armenia. As he said, as of September, they had hubs operating - in Kapan, Goris, Jermuk, Martuni, Yeghegnadzor and Ijevan. With the help of their patrols, they are able to work along the entire length of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mr. Ritter said, adding that with their presence in the border area, they are helping to reduce tension on the front line and increasing the sense of security among civilians.
Mr. Ritter also noted that they draw the attention of the international community to this conflict, and with their reports they contribute to the EU's efforts in promoting the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process. At the same time, he believes that their activities complement the EU's political efforts in this process.
Later, in a conversation with reporters, Mr. Ritter also said that at the moment there are representatives of 23 member countries on the mission, but it is likely that there will be representatives from all 27 member countries. He added that Canada has also joined the EU mission, and the issue of mission's expansion will be discussed before the end of the year in Brussels. When asked what the current situation is at the border, Mr. Ritter said: "At the moment the situation is peaceful, there is no tension."