EU announces official launch of civilian mission in Armenia

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The EU on Monday announced the official launch of a civilian mission, previously established on Jan. 23, in Armenia on the country's border with neighboring Azerbaijan.

“Through its deployment on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the objectives are to 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 normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU,” a statement by the Council of the EU read.

The statement said the exclusively civilian staff of the mission will be approximately 100 people, including around 50 unarmed observers, while its headquarters will be located in the town of Yeghegnadzor.

“EEAS (European External Action Service) Managing Director of the 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,” the statement further noted.

On Jan. 23, the EU announced the establishment of the mission, noting that it will have an initial mandate of two years.

Armenia welcomed the establishment of the mission, while Azerbaijan said it “must not be exploited for derailing the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including in the context of border delimitation process that should be carried out exclusively on a bilateral basis.”

Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, during 44 days of heavy fighting, Azerbaijan liberated a significant part of Karabakh, and a Russian-brokered peace agreement was subsequently signed.

The peace agreement has not, however, ended conflict along the border and other disputes between the two countries.