Possible Escalations from Azerbaijan, But We Hope They Won't Happen: Armen Grigoryan

It is essential to consider why the EU mission has been invited to Armenia. The reason is not geopolitical; it is based on Armenia's experience. This was stated by Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, in an interview with FactorTV.

The high-ranking official reminded that two attacks were carried out against Armenia in 2021, and a large-scale attack occurred in September 2022.

“At the same time, there were attacks on Armenia before and after the onset of the Ukrainian conflict, and the response was the same. Based on this experience, the EU observers have been invited to create additional guarantees for peace. Simultaneously, Baku declared in Europe that Russia, together with Armenia, plans to attack Azerbaijan. We have assured that this is not possible. To avoid the spread of false theses, we have invited an EU civilian mission that is gathering facts,” Grigoryan stated.

According to him, EU observers do not have a mandate to participate in border demarcation issues, but they can be useful in this matter in terms of providing consultations.

“The EU civilian mission is very important for Armenia. It would have been preferable for it to be in Azerbaijan, but that did not happen. Armenia considers this a stabilizing factor that will contribute to the peace agenda. The EU mission is part of Armenia's efforts to implement the peace agenda. This was the primary reason for inviting the EU mission to be deployed along the internationally recognized border between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the official added.

He noted that Azerbaijan's rhetoric and concerns regarding the EU mission suggest that Baku has territorial demands against Armenia, and that mission may somewhat limit those demands and restrict military coercion against Armenia.

“All agreements reached in Prague have been implemented. The mission that arrived for two months concluded its work, but Armenia invited a new mission, considering past experiences. This is Armenia's sovereign right. Possible escalations from Azerbaijan exist, but we hope they won’t happen. In this regard, the EU is in intensive contact with Baku. Both Russian representatives and EU observers are on Armenia's sovereign territory. We maintain contact with both Russian and EU representatives to ensure that their activities are carried out calmly and at an appropriate level. We will continue to work in this direction. Armenia is managing the risks to prevent any incidents between them,” Grigoryan concluded.