Expansion of EU Mission in Armenia is a Futile Step, Says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

The expansion of the EU civil observation mission in Armenia cannot contribute to the resolution of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with TASS, emphasizing that this step will only increase tensions in the South Caucasus.

“The presence of them (EU observers) in Armenia was absolutely a useless step in terms of contributing to the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are convinced that the expansion of the EU mission is also absolutely useless and will not yield any results in this process, the main principles of which were developed in November 2020 by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia and enshrined in several trilateral joint statements,” Galuzin emphasized.

According to him, the European Union does not bring anything new to the South Caucasus but instead brings additional tension and mistrust. Galuzin expressed confidence that the EU's policy in the South Caucasus is aimed solely at pushing Russia out of the region.

“We see that the EU's policy in the South Caucasus is exclusively aimed at pushing Russia out of there while using our achievements in the peaceful resolution process between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” noted the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister.