Agreement on the Status of the EU Observation Mission Established

The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia has approved the draft agreement on the ratification of the "Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union on the Status of the EU Mission in Armenia." The decision was made with 57 votes in favor and 27 abstentions.

It should be noted that by the decision of the European Council, the EU observation mission has been officially stationed in Armenia since February 20, 2023, on a permanent basis. Prior to that, the mission was temporarily in Armenia since October 2022.

According to the agreement, the status of the observers is close to diplomatic status in the sense that they and their official property (vehicles, equipment, etc.) are not subject to customs inspection and standard registration procedures in Armenia. Observers will enjoy legal immunity regarding the performance of their observational functions. The buildings where the mission is located will also have an immunity status and will not be subject to search.

The correspondence and archives of the mission will also be inviolable. According to the aforementioned draft, the European Union has the right to involve non-EU countries in the EU observation mission.

Currently, the number of Euro-observers carrying out the mission at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border is 209, up from the previous 138.