The delegates of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) of the European Parliament visited the operational hub of European Mission in Armenia (EUMA) in Goris to get better understanding of the security situation in border areas between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the ground. Following the briefing by Head of EU Mission in Armenia Markus Ritter, the delegation led by Ms Nathalie Loiseau and the Ambassador to EU Delegation in Armenia Andrea Wiktorin joined EUMA for a patrol near Hakari bridge on the Armenian side, leading to Lachin corridor, EU Mission in Armenia’s Press office reports.
As part of the welcome speech, Markus Ritter highlighted that EU Mission in Armenia “acts in a way as a spotlight of the international community on incidents and ceasefire violations in Armenian-Azerbaijani border areas.” At the end of the visit, Nathalie Loiseau expressed support for EUMA as well as “for the peace aspiration in the region,” and thanked all the involved parties for organising the visit.
Nathalie Loiseau: European Parliament supports EUMA as well as the peace aspiration in the region.
Besides the operations of newly launched EU Mission in Armenia, the purpose of the three-day long visit of the SEDE delegation was to assess the security situation in Armenia as well as the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is a subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament. It is responsible for the European security and defence policy (ESDP), including institutions, capabilities and operations, as well as developing relations with strategic partners and third countries. During the Ninth European Parliament (2019–2024), the committee has 30 members and is chaired by Nathalie Loiseau from France.
EUMA is a non-armed, civilian and non-executive mission with the aim to observe and report to the EU on the security situation on the ground. The mission is deployed on the Armenian side of the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Headquarters in Yeghegnadzor, planned six operational hubs (also called Forward Operating Bases) and a small Support and Liaison office in Yerevan.
