EU monitoring mission not aimed at anyone - Armenian MP

ArmInfo.The EU monitoring mission is a civilian mission, which is not aimed at anyone, Artur Hovhannisyan, a member of the dominant parliamentary faction Civil  Contract, stated in Parliament on Monday. 

Armenia could arrange the extension of the EU monitoring mission in  Armenia for two years, which is in Armenia's national interests. "One  should not view this step as Armenia's intention to fuel the  Russia-West confrontation over the processes in our region. The  authorities are guided by national interests," he said. 

The monitoring mission will be deployed in Armenia to record the  situation along the Armenian- Azerbaijani border. 

"And I would like to ask you not to see any geopolitical implications  as it is an entirely different process. I say again, it is a civilian  mission not aimed at anyone," Mr Hovhannisyan said. 

Armenia is implementing an active foreign policy - partnership with  both Russia and the West, as well as with Iran. 

On January 23, the EU Council agreed to establish a civilian European  Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security and Defence  Policy (CSDP).

The objective of the Mission is to contribute to stability in the  border areas of Armenia, building confidence on the ground, and  ensuring an environment conducive to normalisation efforts between  Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU.

"The establishment of an EU Mission in Armenia launches a new phase  in the EU's engagement in the South Caucasus. The EU will continue to  support de-escalation efforts and is committed to work closely with  both sides towards the ultimate goal of sustainable peace in the  region," Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and  Security Policy, said. 

Speaking in Parliament on February 8, Armenia's Premier Nikol  Pashinyan argued for the deployment of the new EU mission in Armenia.  He pointed out that Baku is trying to argue for its aggression  against Armenia on many international platforms by claiming that, by  beefing up the Russian military presence in Armenia, Armenia's  premier is seeking an aggression against Azerbaijan. So Azerbaijan  had to capture the heights to balance the situation.  "Our western  partners are saying to us, 'you want to capture Azerbaijani  territories'. So we introduced an initiative to send observers here,"  Mr Pashinyan said. Armenia's relations with the CSTO and EU have no  geopolitical implications. Rather, there is a political agenda and a  specific issue official Yerevan is trying to settle.