Civilnet
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian
Azerbaijan's presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev has expressed concerns about the deployment of any third-country forces in Armenia, stating that there is "no need for third-party participation in the delimitation process" if it is conducted in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and peace.
"We see no necessity for any EU mission deployment on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This mission should end," Hajiyev declared, noting that while the mission was intended to be temporary, it appears to be becoming permanent.
The Azerbaijani official emphasized that the mission's composition and mandate scope have expanded. He characterized the mission as a factor causing concern rather than contributing to regional peace, despite the fact that the EU mission in Armenia is a civilian and unarmed presence.
European observers have been monitoring the Armenian-Azerbaijani border since February 2023. Baku has consistently criticized the mission, accusing it of espionage and escalation of tensions in the South Caucasus.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the country’s TV Channel 1 last month that the withdrawal of the EU mission is in fact being discussed with Baku, adding that the Armenian side has counter-proposed removing EU observers from the already delimited sections of the border where each country’s border guard forces have replaced military personnel.
Armenia’s foreign minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, said in October that the European Union’s monitoring mission has been crucial in preventing Azerbaijan from escalating the border crisis. “Since its deployment there hasn’t been any major escalation. It works, it really works and we highly appreciate this effort of the European Union,” he said.
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