The European Union has announced on Monday (20 February) that they have officially launched the civilian mission in Armenia to "contribute to stability in border areas".
In a press release, the EU wrote:
"The EUMA [EU Mission in Armenia] was formally established by a Council Decision on 23 January 2023. Through its deployment on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the objectives are to contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence and human security in conflict affected areas, and ensure an environment conducive to the normalisation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU."
The press release also said that the mission would consist of approximately 100 "exclusively civilian" staff, including around 50 unarmed observers.
The Operational Headquarters of the mission will be in Yeghegnadzor, in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor province.
The European External Action Service Managing Director of the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) Stefano Tomat will serve as the Civilian Operation Commander, while Markus Ritter will serve as the Head of Mission.