EU spies on Azerbaijani border: Surveillance intensifies in Gazakh region PHOTO/VIDEO

On March 7, members of the European Union Mission to Armenia (EUMA) were observed carrying out surveillance activities in areas along the border with Azerbaijan.

The EU observers were stationed near the Gazakh region, where they utilized binoculars to monitor Azerbaijani territories, Caliber.Az reports citing local media.

Azerbaijani border guards observed and documented the movements of the EU mission during their activities. This marks the latest instance of the EU's routine monitoring along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The EU Mission in Armenia has been regularly deployed to observe the situation along the border with Azerbaijan, with the mission's activities often resulting in media reports and video recordings that are periodically shared with the public.

The mission, which began with 100 staff members in 2023, has long been criticized for its intelligence-gathering activities. Previous reports have suggested that the mission targets not only Azerbaijan but also Russia and Iran. While the mission officially focuses on monitoring and border patrols, it is also viewed as serving a symbolic role, with visits from Western politicians signalling support for Armenia.

For example, in July 2024, a US congressional delegation visited the Armenia-Azerbaijan border to observe the situation alongside EUMA representatives. Later in November, Polish President Andrzej Duda also visited the mission’s observation post, where he engaged with personnel while looking toward Azerbaijan. French Ambassador Olivier Decottignies has made several visits as well, sometimes tweeting ambiguous statements about the border situation.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly raised concerns about the mission’s activities. President Ilham Aliyev has pointed out that the extension of the mission was not coordinated with Baku. In December 2024, Aliyev presented conditions for a peace agreement with Armenia, which included the rejection of the deployment of third-party armed forces along the border.

By Vafa Guliyeva