Baku cautions against third-party interference in South Caucasus stability

The presence of the EU mission on Armenia’s territory, particularly along the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, poses serious threats to regional stability, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov has warned.

Speaking on the sidelines of the XII Global Baku Forum, Mammadov criticized the EU mission, stating that it operates under the guise of a civilian deployment but is, in reality, engaged in intelligence-gathering activities, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“The EU mission has been working under the guise of a civilian mission for the second year, but is actually engaged in intelligence activities. This creates serious risks for stability in the region,” he told journalists.

While Azerbaijan and Armenia have recently reached an agreement on the text of a peace treaty, Mammadov emphasized that true stability in the South Caucasus depends on meeting several key conditions — chief among them, halting Armenia’s militarization and preventing third-party interference in regional affairs.

“Work on the draft peace treaty has been underway for a long time, and for almost two years the last two points remained unagreed. One of them was directly related to the non-deployment of third forces on the border, including the conditional one. Armenia has accepted this condition, which means that we are moving in the right direction,” Mammadov stated.

However, he stressed that commitments must be upheld to ensure lasting peace. “It is important that all conditions are observed — the cessation of Armenia's armament and the absence of third forces on the border,” he added.

When asked about the possible date and location for the signing of the peace treaty, Mammadov remained cautious. “It is too early to talk about it,” he noted.

Despite progress in negotiations, Azerbaijan remains firm in its stance that foreign involvement in Armenia, particularly through military or intelligence operations, could jeopardize the peace process and undermine regional security.

By Tamilla Hasanova