EUMA: EU Mission in Armenia could be continued 

ArmInfo.There is an intention to extend the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia. EUMA Deputy Head of Mission Marek Kuberski stated this on October 12 in Yerevan at the forum "Crossroads of Peace: combining security and democracy", noting that if the decision is made, the EU mission will remain in Armenia for another two years.

"I would not expect significant changes in the mandate if the mission  is extended. I believe that the mandate will probably be more or less  the same. Member States share the same idea: we must remain impartial  and continue to work through "soft security". In the villages, in the  border areas, people tell us that they feel safer, that there have  been fewer incidents since we arrived at the border. We are very  encouraged by the continuation of our work here," he said. In turn,  Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan stated  that the EU civilian observation mission in the country ensures  transparency in the region. He added that Armenia highly appreciates  what the EU mission in Armenia is doing.

"I would like to note one more important thing in the context of  Armenia-EU relations. The goal of the mission is not to change the  perception of the European Union by Armenians, but EUMA did this.  This mission also brings transparency to the region, which is also  very important. Before April 5 of this year (the Armenia-EU-US summit  was held on April 5, 2024 - ed.), many media outlets in Azerbaijan  accused us of allegedly trying to escalate the situation and pull new  forces to the border. The EU mission played an important role and, by  ensuring transparency, showed what was happening in the region and  refuted these false accusations," Grigoryan said. 

According to him, the Armenian authorities are striving to expand the  concept of security and apply a comprehensive approach, and diversify  both security and the economy. Let us add that earlier, the EU  Representative for External Relations and Security Policy Peter  Stano, commenting on the statement of the Chief of the General Staff  of the Azerbaijani Army that the deployment of EU observers in  Armenia hinders the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, the European  Union informed the Azerbaijani authorities about its observation  mission in Armenia and is ready for further cooperation with  Azerbaijan.

In an interview with the Azerbaijani service of Radio Liberty, Peter  Stano said that Brussels "fully supports all efforts aimed at  establishing a lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

Recall that on 23 January 2023, the EU Council agreed to establish a  new EU civilian mission to Armenia (EUMA) within the framework of the  Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The goal of the declared  Mission is to promote stability in the border areas of Armenia, build  confidence on the ground and provide an environment conducive to  EU-supported efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and  Azerbaijan.

The EU civilian mission to Armenia will include up to 100  specialists. More than 8 million euros have been allocated for the  first four months of the Mission. EUMA's initial mandate is for two  years, and its operational headquarters is located in Yeghegnadzor.  The civilian operation commander is Stefano Tomat, Managing Director  of the EEAS Civilian Planning and Conduct Unit (CPCC).

The mission began operating on 20 February 2023. Its composition  included, among others, 8 French gendarmes and 15 police officers  from Germany. In addition, on December 11, 2023, following the  meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers, the High Representative of the  European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell  announced his intention to increase the number of the mission to 209  people.