(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Elnur Enveroglu
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When reviewing the steps taken and the results achieved in the
direction of the normalization of relations between Armenia and
Azerbaijan and the signing of a peace agreement in the last six
months alone, only one question arises: what is the main force that
hinders or delays the peace process?
On January 23, 2023, the EU Council approved the dispatch of a
long-term civilian mission to Armenia. The mission aimed to promote
stability on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, build confidence on
the ground, and provide an environment conducive to EU-supported
efforts to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
However, the arrival of the mission group to the South Caucasus
territory did not seem to be good-willed at all. Especially when
talking about the border areas of Armenia with Azerbaijan, the
arrival of the EU Mission should have been agreed with Azerbaijan.
But they did not do what was necessary.
In the early days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
reacted with a statement to the start of activities of EUMA out of
the blue on the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The ministry
stated that such an engagement must not be exploited to derail the
normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including in
the context of the border delimitation process that should be
carried out exclusively on a bilateral basis.
“It must be ensured that the deployment of the EU
mission in Armenia duly takes into account the legitimate interests
of Azerbaijan, and such an undertaking by the EU takes place in a
manner that does not undermine mutual trust and
confidence,” the ministry said in its statement.
In fact, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan was right
in its statement, and the remark in its appeal was that the EU
mission group was placed directly on the borders without
Azerbaijan's consent. This arbitrary decision of the European Union
had a direct impact on relations with Azerbaijan in the literal
sense of the word. Because the EU's bilateral agreement with the
occupying state and its operation in the region without the opinion
of a third party undermined its credibility.
During the first period of activity of the EU Mission,
Azerbaijan thought that Armenia would be emboldened by this and
resort to provocations on the border - and this assumption was
reflected in reality.
If we look at the situation on the border in the last few
months, we can note that Armenia has caused many provocations and
at best fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani army.
As for the result, it is clear once again that the EU Mission in
Armenia plays an important role in encouraging Armenia in
provocations rather than monitoring. The mission team, without
weapons, seems to be the architect of a game that is actually more
dangerous than weapons.
The European Union has begun to expand the Mission's mandate a
bit further without any basic or necessary circumstances. Peter
Stano, the Spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy of
the European Union, known for his biased claims, said this in his
recent statement. At the same time, his statement did not escape
the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
Peter Stano's unfounded opinions about the mandate of the EUMA and
the militarization of Armenia were strongly criticized by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to the question of
Armenia's "Armenpress" news agency. In his statement, the EU
official interpreted the views of the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan incorrectly and with obvious bias.
Today, the state of Azerbaijan is concerned about the activities
of the EUMA and has reasons for its concern. The mission supposedly
promotes peace with its activities, but in reality, it supports the
provocative activities of Armenia and, when appropriate, makes
biased accusations against Azerbaijan with its non-objective
approach. The head of the EU Mission has repeatedly voiced opinions
that Azerbaijan is preparing for any attack, based on the false and
slanderous claims of the Armenian side. While drawing conclusions
from today's observations, it is once again clear that the
Mission's main task is to undermine the normalization process by
comprehensively supporting Armenia against Azerbaijan.
Standing by a state that has occupied Azerbaijani territories
for 30 years, defending it in its provocative activities against
Azerbaijan, and presenting itself as a neutral organization exposes
the hypocritical activity of the EU under the guise of“peace”.
Considering that the military support of the European Union and the
West to Armenia has been steadily increasing in the last year, we
should not be surprised that the European Union Mission in Armenia
hinders peace that is needed in the South Caucasus.
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