On Monday 23 January, the Foreign Affairs Council may agree to the establishment of a civilian CSDP mission in Armenia (EUMA Armenia) (see EUROPE 13085/28).
This mission would follow the border monitoring mission, which ended on 19 December (see EUROPE 13044/13), following a 27 December request from Armenia, but without Azerbaijan’s explicit agreement.
The EU had deployed a planning assistance mission to Armenia on 19 December (see EUROPE 13087/27).
According to a document obtained by EUROPE, EUMA Armenia’s objective would be “to contribute to decreasing the number of incidents in conflict-affected and border areas in Armenia, to reduce the level of risks for the population living in such areas and thereby to contribute to the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the ground”.
To this end, the mission should observe and report on the situation on the ground and any conflict-related incidents “through routine patrolling” “to ensure detailed awareness of the security situation”. It should also contribute to human security by collecting information through ad hoc patrolling and reporting on situations where, due to direct or indirect consequences of the conflict, life and basic human rights are endangered.
On the basis of these activities and “through its permanent and visible presence on the ground”, the mission should contribute to building confidence between the populations of Armenia and Azerbaijan and, where possible, between the authorities of those countries, in support of peace and stability in the region, the EU Council document said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)