EU mission deployment fits Armenia's interests, says pro-government MP

Armenia has no desire to turn the country into an arena of geopolitical clashes, but the deployment of the EU mission on the border was in its interests.

A representative of the ruling parliamentary faction and head of the Foreign Relations Commission of the Armenian parliament, Sarkis Khandanyan, made the remarks at a briefing on March 1, Caliber.Az reports, quoting Armenian media.

Khandanyan was asked to comment on the statement made by Armenian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Baku the day before regarding the above-mentioned mission.

The Russian minister said, in particular, that Brussels was blatantly abusing its relations with Yerevan and Baku by "pushing a civilian mission on Armenian territory, which raises many questions in terms of its legitimacy".

"We inform our partners through various sources about our relations and their nature with other partners," Khandanyan said.

According to the MP, the need for the deployment of observers stemmed from Armenia's interests.

Khandanyan stressed that the three-month activity of the first mission had, in the authorities' assessment, a stabilising effect, and its long-term deployment in Armenia could contribute to "an atmosphere of peace and be an additional guarantee of security".

On February 20, a new European mission of 100 people with a two-year mandate was deployed to Armenia. Although the EU mission is described as civilian, its 50 members are armed gendarmes.

The purpose of the mission is to contribute to stability in the border regions of Armenia, to build confidence on the ground and to provide an environment conducive to efforts to normalise relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.