Grigoryan backs continued EU presence in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia wants the European Union’s civilian mission to continue operating in the country, Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said during a briefing with journalists.

“We have always stated publicly and in private contacts with our EU partners that we highly value our cooperation with the European Union and positively assess the deployment of the mission in Armenia. We are convinced that the mission has had a positive impact from the standpoint of stability and has also contributed to strengthening confidence among border residents in terms of security and stability,” Grigoryan said, according to Sputnik Armenia.

Commenting on Article 7 of the initialed text of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement, which stipulates that the parties will not deploy third-party forces along their shared border, Grigoryan noted that the agreement must first be signed and ratified for its provisions to enter into force.

He added that official Yerevan has clearly expressed its position in favor of the mission’s continued presence in Armenia and that work in this direction will continue.

The EU monitoring mission was deployed in Armenia in October 2022. On December 11, 2023, EU foreign ministers decided to increase the mission’s staff by 50 percent, from 138 to 209 personnel.

At the end of January, the EU Council decided to extend the mandate of the European Union Mission in Armenia for another two years, until February 19, 2027.