EU Mission in Armenia collects intelligence for West, Russian ambassador claims

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YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. Russian Ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, has accused the European Union Mission (EUMA) operating on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border of gathering intelligence under the guise of monitoring./pp

Kopyrkin claimed that the data is being used against Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran./pp

Kopyrkin lamented Armenia's decision to reject the CSTO’s proposal in September 2022, which, according to him, could have mitigated many of the current risks Armenia faces. The proposal included military and technical assistance, a monitoring mission, and support in training border troops. Unfortunately, Armenian leadership chose to invite the EU mission, which does not protect Armenia's borders but instead collects intelligence, Kopyrkin stated./pp

He emphasized that the fate of the South Caucasus should be determined by the countries within the region and their neighbors, warning against the militarization and expansion of Western influence./pp

The EUMA, launched in February 2023, aims to stabilize the situation in Armenia's border regions, build trust, and support EU efforts for normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan. EUMA operates from six bases in Kapan, Goris, Jermuk, Yeghegnadzor, Martuni, and Ijevan./pp br/p