Satu Koivu has been appointed as the new Head of Mission for the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA). She will take up her duties on 20 February 2026, taking over from Markus Ritter, the EU Council said in a press release.
The decision to appoint her as the new Head of EUMA was taken by EU’s Political and Security Committee on 17 February 2026.
Satu Koivu is a Finnish senior police officer with more than 35 years of national and international experience. She has built extensive international expertise through leadership positions within UN and EU missions in the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Namibia, and Cyprus. Before her appointment as EUMA Head of Mission, she was deployed in the National Police Board of Finland as Chief of Human Resources, based in Espoo, Finland.
“The civilian mission EUMA is an essential component of EU efforts to support peace and stability in the South Caucasus region. The Mission is tasked with observing and reporting on the situation on the ground on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, contributing also to human security in these areas. The current mandate of EUMA runs until 19 February 2027,” the EU Council said in the press release.
EUMA was launched in 2023 for a two-year term at the request of Armenia following Azeri incursions. The civilian mission observes and reports on the security situation along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan. In January 2025, the EU extended the mandate of the EUMA for another two years.
