RA Defense Minister meets with Head of  EU Mission to Armenia

ArmInfo. Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan and Satu Koivu, Head of the EU Civilian Mission to Armenia, discussed issues related to the  activities of the European Monitoring Mission in Armenia at a meeting  on July 14.

According to the press service of the Armenian Defense Ministry,  Sargsyan congratulated Satu Koivu on assuming leadership of the EU  Mission to Armenia and wished her success in implementing her  mission.

As a reminder, on January 23, 2023, the EU Council agreed to  establish a new EU Civilian Mission to Armenia (EUMA) within the  framework of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). The  stated objective of the Mission is to promote stability in Armenia's  border areas, build confidence on the ground, and create conditions  conducive to EU-supported efforts to normalize relations between  Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The EU civilian mission to Armenia was comprised of up to 100  specialists. Over ?8 million was allocated for the first four months  of the Mission's work. EUMA's initial mandate is for two years, and  its operational headquarters is located in Yeghegnadzor.

The Mission became operational on 20 February 2023. It includes eight  French gendarmes and 15 German police officers. Furthermore, on 11  December 2023, following the EU Foreign Ministers' Council meeting,  High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and  Security Policy Josep Borrell announced his intention to increase the  mission's strength to 209 personnel.

It is worth noting that on 10 January 2025, High Representative of  the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas proposed  extending the deployment of the EU civilian mission to Armenia for  another two years.