The Foreign Affairs Council decided on Monday 23 January to establish an EU civilian CSDP mission in Armenia, called EUMA Armenia (see EUROPE 13102/23).
The objective of the mission is to contribute to stability in Armenia’s border areas with Azerbaijan, to build confidence on the ground and to ensure an environment conducive to EU-supported normalisation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In concrete terms, it will carry out routine patrols and report on the situation. This should enable the EU to strengthen its understanding of the situation on the ground. The mission also aims to contribute to the mediation efforts in the process led by the President of the European Council.
Speaking to the media, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that EUMA should have around 100 personnel, while French Minister Catherine Colonna said that France would be “happy to participate in this European mission”.
The EUMA will be headed by Stefano Tomat, Managing Director of the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) of the EEAS, for an initial two-year term. A Head of Mission leading the field operations will also be appointed. The operational headquarters of EUMA will be in Armenia. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)