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Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to bring in EU mission

October 7, 2022

The EU is set to play a bigger role in the Caucasus region as Russia's ability to manage the ongoing conflict there wanes. The European mission will last for two months.

https://p.dw.com/p/4HuBp
Armenian soldiers near the border to Azerbaijan
More than 200 people died when tension along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border broke out last monthImage: Aschot Gazazyan/DW

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to allow the European Union to send a mission to the tense shared border region between the two Caucasus neighbors, the European Council said on Friday.

The announcement followed talks between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the European Political Community gathering in Prague.

The two leaders reached the agreement during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel.

The ongoing tensions between the two former Soviet republics over border regions broke out into open conflict once again last month, leading to the deaths of more than 200 people.

From left to right President of the European Council Charles Michel, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of France Emmanuel Macron, and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
Talks with EU Council President Michel, Armenian PM Pashinyan, French President Macron and Azerbaijani President Aliyev (left to right) were held in PragueImage: Presidency of Azerbaijan/Handout/Anadolu Agency/picture alliance

What will the EU mission do?

A joint statement explained that Armenia would "facilitate a civilian EU mission alongside the border with Azerbaijan," while Azerbaijan would "cooperate with this mission as far as it is concerned."

"Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and the Alma Ata 1991 Declaration through which both recognize each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty," the European Council also said.

"The aim of this mission is to build confidence and, through its reports, to contribute to the border commissions," it added. The mission will begin in October and last for two months.

Baku and Yerevan already agreed to end their renewed hostilities with a cease-fire that was agreed upon last month.

Russian influence waning

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is centered around the control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region which lies within Azerbaijan's borders but was under de facto Armenian control until they were forced out by large-scale fighting in 2020.

The decades-old conflict dates back to the fall of the Soviet Union and the subsequent ethnic conflict.

Azerbaijan's renewed aggression last month was interpreted by many as a challenge against Russia's hegemony in the region while it is bogged down in Ukraine. Moscow maintains a defensive alliance with Yerevan.

EU involvement is a further setback for Russian domination, especially considering the historical meeting between Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Prague on Thursday.

ab/sms (AP, AFP)