Civilnet
EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos acknowledges that disinformation about the European Union has intensified recently, particularly following the deployment of the EU monitoring mission on the country’s border with Azerbaijan in February 2023. However, he remains optimistic about the Armenian public's ability to distinguish between reliable information and disinformation.
"The Armenian public deserves to be better informed about what we are doing," Maragos said in an interview with CivilNet, emphasizing the EU's efforts to improve communication through events, social media, and interviews. He highlighted the recent Europe Day celebration in Yerevan on May 10, which showcased EU activities, projects, and member state involvement.
The ambassador also praised the EU monitoring mission's work, noting that beyond monitoring borders with Azerbaijan, the mission provides a sense of security to people in border-straddling villages.
“This is known and appreciated both by the authorities and the people on the ground,” he argued.
Maragos pointed to substantial EU investments in Armenia's development, including a €150 million program focused on strengthening the resilience of Syunik province in southern Armenia.
Recognizing the need for stronger media literacy, the EU recently announced €1.5 million in special support for Armenian media, as announced by the bloc’s High Representative Kaja Kallas during her visit to the country in June. The ambassador acknowledged that this support is crucial as there are high expectations in this area and the engaging with professional journalists and civil society is important.
The EU also launched the Young European Ambassadors initiative, which organized media literacy seminars last year. Maragos noted that while Armenia’s young people are “tech-savvy,” they can be "very fragile when it comes to interacting with new technology."
Despite challenges, Ambassador Maragos expressed confidence in Armenian citizens' maturity and education to discern quality information.
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