The lord of binoculars: Unsettling logic of EU’s reconnaissance mission Decoding Markus Ritter’s statements

As the subtitle suggests, this article is dedicated to the interview given by the head of the EU’s intelligence-reconnaissance mission in Armenia (EUMA), Markus Ritter, to Armenian media. This is not the first interview with the retired German police officer, but it is one that draws particular attention.

Let us recall that in the spring of 2023, he told his compatriots from DW that if Azerbaijan had not yet attacked Armenia, it meant the mission was successfully fulfilling its tasks. However, he later effectively walked back his statement, claiming it was not meant for an interview but was said in an informal conversation. After that, Ritter refrained from making controversial remarks and carried out reconnaissance activities without much publicity.

That said, he did gain attention for organizing trips to the so-called border, allowing various Western politicians to observe Azerbaijani territory through binoculars—something of a stalker-provocateur. And now, he has spoken up again. Let’s take a look at what he said this time.

Ritter stated that the EUMA mission has contributed to a decrease in incidents and an improvement in security, emphasizing that this is a verified fact. He noted that allegations of espionage have been present since the mission's inception but insisted that their operations are fully transparent. According to him, the mission conducts open patrols along the border, with both sides always being aware of their location.

Once again, this echoes his earlier remarks — "Azerbaijanis are not attacking, and that’s thanks to us." In reality, the number of border incidents has indeed decreased, but not because of the mission’s activities. Instead, it is a result of Azerbaijan’s actions. After our country fully restored its sovereignty in September 2023, the Armenian side lost much of its political basis for provocations. Yet, despite this, Armenian forces still occasionally fire on Azerbaijani positions, though not as frequently as before.

Therefore, it would be more appropriate for the mission to focus on monitoring the side of the border where it is stationed and work to prevent military provocations by Armenia’s armed forces against Azerbaijan. There is no doubt that such provocations are being prepared, and we have reported on this many times before.

Ritter went on to say that all EUMA movements are communicated to Baku in advance through the EU representation, ensuring there are no covert actions.

"At least we are not convenient for either side because we bring an international view into this conflict zone. This means for both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides that they simply cannot start anything without letting us, the international community, and especially Brussels, know that something is happening," the "European governor of Armenia" proclaimed with a tone of authority.

This statement reflects not just boastfulness but also a sense of excessive arrogance. Ritter's words give the impression that Brussels is controlling the entire situation in the South Caucasus. It seems that, after facing a reprimand from the Trump administration, the Europeans were eager to assert themselves and found the perfect stage for doing so in Armenia.

When asked about Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s response to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s demand to remove the EU monitoring mission from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Markus Ritter clarified that Pashinyan’s proposal was not about withdrawing the mission entirely but rather about adjusting its presence in areas that have already been agreed upon and demarcated. He emphasized that this would not prevent EU monitors from continuing to visit villages and farms near the border to engage with local residents.

Ritter’s response comes across less as a neutral statement and more as a subtle expression of concern—almost a warning: "Look, Pashinyan, don’t even think about removing us." The euphemistic language used by the German officer to obscure the intelligence-gathering nature of the mission is striking. "Visit villages near the border and engage with locals." A little more, and one might think the mission’s main objective is to collect Armenian folklore.

What follows is a passage remarkable for its contradictions and ambiguity: "There are no incidents at the moment. Both sides are fortifying their positions. Both sides continue to be prepared for the worst, which is obvious. But we are not seeing any tension at the moment, and this has been the situation for a month, we are confident that the region is on a good path. And we always say: be prepared for the worst, but be ready for the best."

Personally, I find absolutely nothing clear in this passage. It seems to contain several logical contradictions. How can one talk about moving in the right direction when both sides are preparing for a worsening situation? If you're preparing for the worst and only hoping for the best, it means you consider the worst scenario more likely. I repeat the question—how can you talk about moving in the right direction in that case?

And what is the purpose of this mission if it's preparing for the worst? Based on the words of its leader, it seems to boil down to: “Nothing’s happened yet, but anything could happen.” But if you’ve taken on the role of "ensuring peace," it should be a proactive one. If all you're doing is preventing war for now only for it to break out a month later, and you're still in the same place, then you're not playing any meaningful role.

According to your logic, if war hasn’t happened, it’s not because you're stopping it, but because the conditions for it haven't yet developed. Otherwise, you'd be minimizing the chances of war.

Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying this because I want you to stay. On the contrary, I’d very much like for you to leave and stop interfering—not with the war, but with peace. But I just can’t help pointing out the obvious logical issues in your statements.

Or maybe your real goal is a big flare-up at the border? Perhaps you’re trying to stir up the South Caucasus as a surprise for Trump, to distract him from tightening the screws in Europe? If that's the case, then your reasoning is completely justified.

Finally, in the most poignant part of the interview, Ritter stated that the second mandate of the mission would maintain the same tasks: patrolling, reporting, and confidence-building. He added that the mission plans to continue visiting schools in frontline villages to inform children about the mission and the EU.

"We not only want to visit schools in the future, but we also want to promote our work, the European idea, and let everyone know that we are not spying, conducting intelligence work, or anything else. We are a civilian, unarmed mission that wants to help stabilize this region," noted.

It seems that Ritter had never been so close to failure. Did he accidentally utter the word "intelligence"? A slip of the tongue, perhaps? It’s possible. By the way, have you ever heard of a spy who voluntarily admits to being a spy? And, really, why should we believe what Ritter says when we have evidence to the contrary? In any case, the fact that the head of the mission chose to address this issue likely indicates that Mr. Ritter enjoys keeping an eye on the Azerbaijani press.

The casual tone of this material should not distract us from the seriousness of the issue. In reality, EUMA functions as a tool of disruptive interference in the peace-building process in the South Caucasus. Now, amid discussions about its unnecessary role, EUMA has hastened to announce, through its head, that it has no intention of scaling back its activities. Let’s not forget that Armenia and the EU recently extended the mission’s mandate for another two years, until 2027. During this period, it’s not ruled out that EUMA will push Armenia toward new armed provocations against Azerbaijan, likely attempting to drag us into a protracted conflict. Do they realize that when we respond, everything could happen in the blink of an eye — just as it did during the 2023 anti-terrorist operation?