New EU monitoring mission to Armenia gets backlash from Moscow

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that the European Union's decision to establish a new civilian mission in Armenia "can only bring the geopolitical confrontation to the region and exacerbate the existing contradictions".

In a press release "On the establishment of a civilian monitoring mission of the European Union in the border regions of Armenia" published on its website on 26 January, the ministry said:

"On 23 January, the Council of the EU adopted a decision to establish a new civilian mission of the European Union in Armenia for a period of two years. The specific parameters of the EU presence will be determined in the very near future. But it is already obvious that it will be on a larger scale than the EU monitoring mechanism that operated in Armenia from October to December last year.

"Russia's principled position regarding the extra-regional factor gaining a foothold in the Transcaucasus [South Caucasus] has not changed. We do not see any 'added value' from the supervision of EU 'experts' over the events in the area of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. If Brussels were sincerely interested in peace in the Transcaucasus, they would have coordinated the terms of their mission's work with Azerbaijan.

"The appearance in the border regions of Armenia of representatives of the EU, which has degenerated into an appendage of the United States and Nato and is pursuing a confrontational policy in the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] space, can only bring the geopolitical confrontation to the region and exacerbate the existing contradictions. The declared civilian nature of the EU mission should not mislead either - it is formed within the framework of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy with all the ensuing consequences.

"Attempts by the European Union to gain a foothold in Armenia at any cost, to push back Russia's mediation efforts are capable of harming the fundamental interests of the Armenians and Azerbaijanis in their aspirations to return to the peaceful development of the region. We are convinced that the key factor for stability and security in the region for the foreseeable future remains the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed on the basis of the statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of 9 November 2020, as well as the Russian border guards serving on the Armenian borders. They will react to the behaviour of the EU observers, taking into account the development of the situation 'on the ground'.

"We take note that Yerevan, without bringing to its logical end the work on sending a CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organisation] mission, decided to make a choice in favour of the EU. If the Armenian allies remain interested in using the potential of the CSTO, its mission can be rapidly deployed in Armenia.

"As before, we believe that the most stable and long-term basis for the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalisation and, generally, improvement of the situation in the region is the strict and consistent implementation of the tripartite agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of 9 November 2020, 11 January and 26 November 2021 and 31 October 2022, including [the agreements] on unblocking all transport and economic connections, delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, coordination of the parameters of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, development of trilateral contacts between the public, expert circles and parliamentarians. The Russian Federation is ready to facilitate this in every possible way."