Armenia calls for extended EU mission until peace deal with Azerbaijan reached

Armenian authorities are hoping that the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) will remain in the country until a peace agreement is reached with Azerbaijan, said Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan

During a conversation with journalists, Simonyan stated that the EU's monitoring mission is still actively operating within Armenian territory, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media.

He stated that the EU's monitoring mission is still actively operating within Armenian territory.

"We are grateful to the observers, this civilian mission, and the countries that have sent them here. We hope that, at the very least, the observers will remain until a peace agreement is signed," Simonyan said.

However, Simonyan expressed uncertainty about whether the observers would continue their presence in Armenia after a peace deal is concluded between Yerevan and Baku.

Notably, on October 14, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, while receiving the credentials of Belgium’s newly appointed ambassador to Azerbaijan, Julien de Fraipont, remarked that the extension of the EU monitoring mission's mandate on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, without Azerbaijan’s consent or consultation, has created mistrust between Azerbaijan and the European Union.

Additionally, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has previously stated that the EU’s monitoring mission is becoming "increasingly hostile towards Armenia's neighbours—Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran—carrying out provocative activities openly."

By Aghakazim Guliyev