The West Could Gather Intelligence on Russian Facilities in Armenia, Says Galuzin

There are grounds to suggest that the West is collecting intelligence on Russian facilities as well as those of all neighboring states of Armenia. This statement was made by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with RIA Novosti, commenting on the EU mission's work in Armenia.

“We evaluate the activities of the EU mission in Armenia negatively, which we have repeatedly expressed,” he said. The European Union's objective is clear: to strengthen its presence in the region at the expense of the traditional partners and neighbors of South Caucasus states — Russia, Iran, and Turkey.

“We do not see any tangible results from the work of European observers,” emphasized the Deputy Minister. Galuzin noted that their presence has not prevented periodic escalations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

“They send their reports directly to Brussels and do not even pass them on to the Armenian side. There are grounds to suggest that the Westerners are collecting intelligence data on Russian facilities and all the neighboring states of Armenia,” stated the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister.

Galuzin expressed concern that the EU mission might become permanent. “In April of this year, Canadian representatives joined the mission, which effectively indicates the creeping infiltration of NATO into the South Caucasus,” he noted.

The Deputy Minister mentioned that the Russian side constantly raises the issue of the EU mission in its interactions with Yerevan and other regional partners. Moscow is convinced that sustainable peace in the South Caucasus can only be achieved based on the comprehensive and mutual implementation of the tripartite agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in 2020-2022.

It should be recalled that the EU monitoring mission was deployed in Armenia in October 2022. 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.

On December 11, 2023, foreign ministers of EU countries decided to increase the number of the EU civilian mission in Armenia by 50 percent, raising the staff from 138 to 209.