On January 23, the EU foreign ministers approved the creation of a civilian European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) to promote stability in border areas, strengthen confidence on the ground and normalize relations between Yerevan and Baku. EUMA will have an initial mandate of two years, and its operational headquarters will be located in Armenia.
"Good to meet PM Nikol Pashinyan. EU is a committed partner of Armenia. Next week, the EU will send a 100-strong mission contributing to peace and stability. We welcome progress made on democratic reforms and will develop further the potential in our Economic Investment Plan," Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter on Friday.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said on Friday that the scheduled deployment of the EU mission on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border may impede the process of normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan.
In late January, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the appearance of EU representatives in Armenia's border regions under the recently established mission could lead to a geopolitical confrontation in the area and exacerbate tensions between Yerevan and Baku. Moscow also said that Russia's peacekeeping contingent, as well as Russian border guards serving at the Armenian borders, were a key factor in stability and security in the region.
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The European Union plans to send a 100-strong civilian mission to Armenia next week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.
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