Russian rep: EU mission in Armenia - attempt to gain foothold in post-Soviet space

Russian acting Permanent Representative to the EU Kirill Logvinov has said that the activity of the EU mission in Armenia is an attempt to gain a foothold in the post-Soviet space, taking advantage of the results due to normalisation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan ties achieved through Russia’s mediation.

“This is nothing more than an attempt made by Brussels, taking advantage of the results achieved through Russia’s mediation in normalisation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan ties, to gain a foothold in the post-Soviet space, playing the role of a kind of “intermediary,” Logvinov told journalists, according to Caliber.Az.

He noted that "there is also a significant anti-Russian component here - the desire to neutralise Russia’s historical role as a guarantor of security".

A new European mission consisting of 100 people with a two-year mandate was deployed in Armenia on February 20. Although the EU mission is declared as a civilian one, 50 people in its composition are armed gendarmes.

The purpose of the mission is “to promote stability in the border regions of Armenia, build confidence on the spot and create conditions for making efforts to normalise relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.

Earlier, while commenting on the deployment of a new EU mission in Armenia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the appearance of EU representatives in the border regions of Armenia can bring only geopolitical confrontation to the region and exacerbate existing contradictions.