ArmInfo. The mandate of the civil mission of the European Union is clearly regulated by the decision of the Council of the EU. RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated on March 22 during the government hour in the RA National Assembly.
According to him, we should take into account that that the mandate of the mission is of a civilian nature. For the Armenian side, its activity is another important mechanism that should serve the peace process, stability in the region, and an objective assessment of the situation. "Allegations that the Armenian side resorts to provocations behind the back of the EU do not correspond to reality," the head of the foreign policy department said.
Speaking about the importance of the return of internally displaced persons to their homes, the minister stressed that immediately after the signing of the tripartite statement dated November 9, 2020, the country's Foreign Ministry began working with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in order to fulfill the 7th paragraph of the statement providing for the return of refugees to Artsakh and the territories closest to it, which came under the control of Azerbaijan. < The work with the management continues, we are in active contact. Of course, there are obstacles, which, as you understand, are connected with the position of Azerbaijan. But in this issue, the Armenian side also strives to be as constructive as possible in order to find solutions," Mirzoyan noted, adding that work is also underway to develop a mechanism for preventing genocide. Efforts in this direction have intensified, since the people of Artsakh face a real danger of ethnic cleansing, as well as the danger of genocide, which is manifested in the statements of the Azerbaijani authorities at the highest level.
It should be reminded that on January 23 the Council of the EU approved the dispatch of the EU civil mission to Armenia for a period of two years. The EU Civil Mission in Armenia (EUMA Armenia) includes up to 100 specialists to monitor and inform the situation on the ground. More than 8 million euros have been allocated for the first four months of the Mission's work. The operational headquarters of the mission is located in Armenia. EEAS Managing Director of Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) Stefano Tomat, serves as the Civilian Operation Commander, while Markus Ritter serves as the Head of Mission.