EU welcomes initialing of peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia  and calls for soonest ratification 

ArmInfo. The European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA) will continue its activities, and possible changes to its mandate will be discussed between Yerevan  and Brussels. EU Foreign Policy Spokesperson Anita Hipper told  Report.

"The mandate of the mission is to monitor and report on the situation  on the ground on the Armenian side of the Armenian-Azerbaijani  border," the EU representative said, noting that the European Union  welcomed the initialing of the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and  Armenia and called on the parties to sign and ratify it as soon as  possible.

On January 23, 2023, the EU Council agreed to establish a new  civilian mission of the European Union 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 conditions  conducive to the EU-supported efforts to normalize relations between  Armenia and Azerbaijan. The EU civilian mission in Armenia included  up to 100 specialists. More than 8 million euros were allocated for  the first four months of the Mission. EUMA's initial mandate is for  two years, its operational headquarters is located in Yeghegnadzor.

The mission began operating on 20 February 2023. It included, among  others, 8 French gendarmes and 15 police officers from Germany. In  addition, on 11 December 2023, following the EU Foreign Ministers'  meeting, the then 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.