ArmInfo. Armenia's appeal to the EU on the deployment of the EU civilian mission along the border for a longer period was based on the needs of the state. Sargis Khandanyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia, stated this during a press conference.
In this vein, he recalled that the sovereign territory of Armenia during 2021 and 2022 was subjected to military attack by Azerbaijan three times. <Assessing the work of the mission for 2 months, we came to the conclusion that it has a stabilizing role in a certain sense>, said the parliamentarian. Khandanyan stressed that a longer deployment of the EU mission along the border could contribute to the formation of a peaceful environment and create additional security guarantees. <I do not want to overestimate it, since this is a civilian mission. But we see, I repeat, that it has a stabilizing role>, he said.
The MP stressed that Armenia has no desire to become an arena for geopolitical clashes. "All of our partners are aware of the nature of our relationship with other partners, which we inform them through various channels," he said. The EUMA was formally established by a Council Decision on 23 January 2023. Through its deployment on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, it aims to contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence and human security in conflict affected areas, and ensure an environment conducive to the normalisation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU. The exclusively civilian staff of the EUMA will number approximately 100 in total, including around 50 unarmed observers. The mission's operational headquarters will be in Yeghegnadzor, in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia. EEAS Managing Director of the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), Stefano Tomat, will serve as the Civilian Operation Commander, while Markus Ritter will serve as the Head of Mission.