EU launches civilian mission in Armenia

ArmInfo. The European Union is today launching the EU civilian mission in Armenia (EU Mission in Armenia / EUMA) under its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

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. 

Speaking in Parliament on February 8, Armenia's Premier Nikol   Pashinyan argued for the deployment of the new EU mission in Armenia.   He pointed out that Baku is trying to argue for its aggression   against Armenia on many international platforms by claiming that, by   beefing up the Russian military presence in Armenia, Armenia's   premier is seeking an aggression against Azerbaijan. So Azerbaijan   had to capture the heights to balance the situation.  "Our western   partners are saying to us, 'you want to capture Azerbaijani  territories'. So we introduced an initiative to send observers here,"   Mr Pashinyan said. Armenia's relations with the CSTO and EU have no   geopolitical implications. Rather, there is a political agenda and a   specific issue official Yerevan is trying to settle.