EU mission to play crucial role in ensuring regional security and  stability - Nikol Pashinyan

ArmInfo.Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan, at a discussion on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus. Armenia prospects, thanked the EJU, particularly the German government, for their efforts in sending an EU civilian mission to Armenia. 

The modern world is experiencing geopolitical shifts. Growing  tensions and unpredictability are shattering the world order and  international security system, causing more problems, especially for  democratic Armenia. 

"We witnessed the first present-day budding challenges and collapse  of Europe's security architecture in our region back in 2020, when  Azerbaijan unleashed a war against Nagorno-Karabakh. 

"After the trilateral statement was signed on November 9, 2020,  Azerbaijan has not abandoned its bellicose policy of threats.  Moreover, it launched a new aggression against Armenia's sovereign  territories in May 2021, November 2021 and September 2022," Mr  Pashinyan said. 

During the last aggression, on September 13-14, 2022, Azerbaijan  launched a full-scale offensive against Armenia's military and  civilian infrastructure, using heavy artillery, missile-launchers and  combat drone.  The Armenian side lost 225 people killed, including  three civilians, with over 150sq. kilometers of Armenia's sovereign  territories occupied. 

"There is no passing over in silence numerous cases of torture of  prisoners or abuse of corpses (including female soldiers) by  Azerbaijani servicemen. The horrific videos showing Azerbaijani  servicemen committing atrocities must be considered by the  international community. One more problem is Azerbaijan hiring Syrian  mercenaries," Mr Pashinyan said.  

During the aggression last September, when Armenia's "external  security system failed," Armenia requested an extraordinary meeting  of the U.S. Security Council, which actually took place on September  15, 2022, when member-states emphasized the unacceptability of use of  force and pointed to Azerbaijan as the aggressor. They highlighted  the importance of respecting international humanitarian right and  pointed out the fact of attacks against Armenia's civilian  infrastructure.  

The four-partite meeting between Emmanuel Macron, Charles Michel,  Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan in Prague on October 6, 2022, proved  an important step toward de-escalation, when an agreement on the  deployment of a short-term EU monitoring mission was reached along  the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.  On December 19, 2022, that  mission's mandate expired, and, meeting Armenia's request, the EU  Council approved the deployment of an EUMA in Armenia for two years,  Mr Pashinyan said. 

"The mission will be a crucial role in ensuring regional security and  stability, as well as in providing timely and reliable reports on the  current situation to our EU partners," Armenia's premier said. 

At a press conference jointly with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz  on March 2, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated that "will  probably sign a document regulating the presence of the monitoring  mission in the near future, when we negotiate and reach a general  agreement on the wording of the already reached agreements." 

The EUMA is a neutral and non-executive mission, which will have a  two-year mandate, and was formally established by the European  Council decision on 23 January 2023.  The Mission will be deployed on  the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and will  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 total - exclusively  civilian - staff of the EUMA will be approximately one hundred  persons, including around fifty unarmed observers. 

The Operational Headquarters of the mission will be in Yeghegnadzor,  in Armenia's Vayots Dzor province.  EEAS Managing Director of  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.  EUMA was preceded by an EU Monitoring  Capacity in Armenia (EUMCAP).  

The latter had deployed EU observers from the EU Monitoring Mission   in Georgia from 20 October until 19 December 2022.  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.