Yerevan /Mediamax/. The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized today the decision of the EU Council to establish a new civilian mission in Armenia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a news release:

“On January 23, the EU Council made a decision to establish a new civilian mission of the European Union in Armenia for a period of two years. The specific parameters of the EU presence will be determined in the near future. But it is already obvious that it will be more ambitious than the EU monitoring mechanism that operated in Armenia from October to December last year.

Russia’s basic position regarding the consolidation of the extra-regional factor in the South Caucasus has remained unchanged. We do not see any “added value” from the monitoring of the situation by the EU “experts” in the area of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. If Brussels were sincerely interested in peace in the South Caucasus, they would agree on the terms of their mission’s work with Azerbaijan.

The appearance of representatives of the European Union in the border regions of Armenia, which has degenerated into an appendage of the United States and NATO and is pursuing a confrontational policy in the CIS space, can only bring geopolitical confrontation to the region and exacerbate existing contradictions. The declared civilian nature of the EU mission should not be misleading either – it is formed within the framework of the EU Common Security and Defense Policy with all the ensuing consequences.

Attempts of the European Union to gain a foothold in Armenia at any cost, to push back Russia’s mediation efforts can harm the fundamental interests of Armenians and Azerbaijanis in their aspirations to return to the peaceful development of the region. We are convinced that the key factor for stability and security in the region for the foreseeable future remains the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed on the basis of the November 9, 2020 statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the Russian border guards serving on the Armenian borders. They will react to the behavior of the EU observers, taking into account the development of the situation “on the ground”.

We fix that Yerevan, without bringing to its logical end the work in the direction of the CSTO mission, preferred to make a choice in favor of the EU. In case the Armenian allies remain interested in using the potential of the CSTO, its mission can be operatively deployed in Armenia.

As before, we believe that the most stable and long-term basis for the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization and, in general, improvement of the situation in the region is the full and consistent implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020, January 11, November 26, 2021 and October 31, 2022, including the unblocking all transport and economic ties, delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, agreeing on the parameters of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, developing trilateral contacts between the public, expert circles and parliamentarians. The Russian Federation is ready to assist this in every possible way.”