Vassilis Maragos: From first days of its activity, EUMA made worthy  contribution to stabilizing situation around Armenia

ArmInfo. Establishing a stable peace in the South Caucasus is one of the main goals of the European Union. Head of the EU delegation to Armenia, Vassilis Maragos, stated at the opening ceremony of the headquarters of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMA) in the city of Yeghegnadzor on November 1.

According to him, the opening of the headquarters will mark the full  functioning of the EU civil mission on the territory of the Republic  of Armenia. At the same time, the diplomat emphasized that from the  first days of its activity (since February of this year), EUMA has  made a worthy contribution to stabilizing the situation around  Armenia and establishing peace between the Republic of Armenia and  Azerbaijan.

As Mr. Maragos noted, at the European Political Community summit held  in Granada in early October, the EU again condemned Azerbaijan's  military actions against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and  emphasized the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial  integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan. "We remain committed to these  efforts. Humanitarian needs over 100,000 residents of  Nagorno-Karabakh who have found refuge in Armenia are in the center  of our immediate attention," he said.

The diplomat also said that they, together with the Armenian  government and humanitarian organizations, are working hard to  facilitate the receipt of an assistance package of 25 million euros,  announced by the President of the European Commission.

According to him, the EU and Armenia are committed to further  strengthening ties, working towards identifying the full potential of  the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and EU Economic  and Investment Plan.  In turn, Head of the EU observer mission in  Armenia, Markus Ritter, noted that today 93 members of the mission  from 23 EU member countries are operating on the territory of  Armenia.  As he said, as of September, they had hubs operating - in  Kapan, Goris, Jermuk, Martuni, Yeghegnadzor and Ijevan. With the help  of their patrols, they are able to work along the entire length of  the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mr. Ritter said, adding  that with their presence in the border area, they are helping to  reduce tension on the front line and increasing the sense of security  among civilians.

Mr. Ritter also noted that  they draw the attention of the  international community to this conflict, and with their reports they  contribute to the EU's efforts in promoting the Armenian-Azerbaijani  normalization process. At the same time, he believes that their  activities complement the EU's political efforts in this process.

Later, in a conversation with reporters, Mr. Ritter also said that at  the moment there are representatives of 23 member countries on the  mission, but it is likely that there will be representatives from all  27 member countries. He added that Canada has also joined the EU  mission, and the issue of mission's expansion will be discussed  before the end of the year in Brussels.  When asked what the current  situation is at the border, Mr. Ritter said: "At the moment the  situation is peaceful, there is no tension."