Peter Stano, Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has given an interview to the Armenpress, Armenia’s State Agency. In his saying, this EU official alleges that “It /the Observation Mission/ was established at the request of Armenian authorities... The EU Mission in Armenia is an unarmed, civilian mission deployed to support the EU’s efforts to promote peace in the region.” He describes that mission as an “impartial” one and notes that “the Mission has demonstrated its value contributing to ensuring an environment conducive to normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.
Fact-check Lab tries to clarify what Peter Stano alleges.
First and foremost, we should note that the EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy makes the fourth statement in last two years to the official telegraph agency of Armenia, and all interviews are taken by Lilit Gasparyan, the Agency’s reporter in the EU.
This journalist is known by her ability to treat any event in unilateral and biased way by asking hint questions and keeping an interlocutor under psychological pressure.
Thus, we decipher the points made by Peter Stano in his interview entitled “It is Armenia’s sovereign right to work on its defense capabilities and to choose its partners” published on Armenpress on 27 September 2024.
False statement 1: “It was established at the request of the Armenian authorities, and it operates only on the Armenian side of the internationally recognized bilateral border. It is an impartial mission with a clearly defined mandate.”
Our comment: This statement of Peter Stano is completely false. The Agreement on EU Mission clearly states that it has been agreed at the Prague Meeting with the participation of Azerbaijan in 2022, and not by the request of Armenia. It was agreed with the official Baku that the Mission will work in the border area of Armenia and Azerbaijan for the period of two and a half month. This is how the process has unfolded in that period: The meeting took place between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the President of France Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the European Council Charles Michel in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic on 6 October 2022 in the margins of the first European Political Community. The Statement made after the meeting writes that There was an agreement by Armenia to facilitate a civilian EU mission alongside the border with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan agreed to cooperate with this mission as far as it is concerned. It also states that the mission will start in October for a maximum of two months. The aim of this mission is to build confidence and, through its reports, to contribute to the border commissions. According to this agreement reached, the civil mission of EU has been deployed alongside the conditional border with Armenia on October 20 to submit monitor and analyze the situation, and submit reports on the status in-situ.
But then, on December 20, Yerevan has made a unilateral decision to extend the duration of this mission for indefinite period. Thus, in January 2023, EUMA deployed in Armenia has got the opportunity to have the first mandate for 2 years with its subsequent extension. It was expected that the mission will comprise almost 103 EU officers. On 11 December 2023, the EU has confirmed that the number of its officers seconded to Armenia will reach 209.
As seen, the EUMA that had to contribute to the confidence building and border commissions’ actions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has hindered confidence building measures between both countries. This constitutes also the assessment given by President Ilham Aliyev.
President Ilham Aliyev has described his standpoint in his interview to local TV channels back on 10 January 2023. The head of State said: There was also another moment at the Prague meeting. It was left relatively out of common context. It was related to the deployment of European observers mission in the territory of Armenia and our bordering regions. This issue was very widely discussed. One of proposals was to second this mission also to Azerbaijan. We have objected it. But, we have agreed this Mission to be deployed in Armenia. At that time, it was underlined and discussed there that the mission will be for a short term composed of 40 persons, and it will last for two months only. I did agree on that. Then, this agreement was violated somehow. Of course, it is a very disappoint moment because we are serious persons. There was a serious talk. If we agree on something, even verbally, we should keep our word. How it could happen? After a while, the high ranking official of the EU has said that the mission deadline will be extended. And then, the French foreign minister has said that we will extend the duration of this mission. Of course, we have immediately started to act and demanded the explanation. What does it mean? How you are going to extend it? But, it is you that has agreed this mission with us. Why? Because it will be near our border. How it can happen with having agreed it with us? This mission had to end on December 19, and you had to return.
These extensive comments of President Ilham Aliyev contain the answer to this claim of Peter Stano. So, as alleged by Stano, if the aim of mission is truly civil and serves the peace building and is impartial, then, it proves once again that it is incorrect because it does not consider the opinion of Azerbaijan to start a long term observation. On the other hand, though the mission is in Armenia, it is deployed right on the border with Azerbaijan, and for this reason, it had to consider the opinion of Azerbaijan. Once this opinion is not considered, then the mission cannot be regarded as impartial.
Jeyhun Bayramov, foreign minister of Azerbaijan speaking at the ministerial meeting of the Eastern Partnership member countries in Brussel has criticized this decision of EU by noting that the increase of number has taken place ‘arbitrarily’. The minister has stated that the monitoring mission in Armenia is widely used as a tool of propaganda against Azerbaijan. According to him, there are initiatives such as arming Armenia via EU that ‘violate the stability’. These initiatives shall have inevitable negative results on the efforts to normalize the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and weaking the trust into EU as ‘a bipartisan mediator’. It can never be in line with the objectives set in the Eastern Partnership when you arm one partner against another or misuse it.
False statement 2. In his interview, Stano states that the mission has the civil objective
However, the study shows that the EU has started to deploy former military, intelligence officers and others from different European countries under the name of ‘a civil mission’.
We offer you the information found from open sources to prove the authenticity of these facts. Persons shown below are the officers of EU mission in Armenia.
Eric D has worked as Chief of Staff of EUMA; section chief – instructor officer in the Army in 2011-2014; company commander in the National Gendarmerie in 2014-2019.
Peter Barendrecht is the operations officer. He has served as a soldier in the peacekeeping company in Lebanon in 1981; chief Agent in Dutch police, Head of Public Security, Head of Operative Expert Intelligence Section in 2001-2011, Anti Crime Project Manager / Anti Crime Mentor-Adviser; Anti Crime Project Manager / Anti Crime Mentor-Adviser; European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan in 2011-2012; Strategic Reform Adviser, Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan in 2015-2016;
Kari Valjakka is Operation Officers at EUMA; He is graduated from the National War College of Finland, and then the National War Academy while being promoted to the rank of colonel. He has served as security councilor, Office manager, and officer of security forces in Sudan. He is the professional military intelligence officer.
Georgios Lekakis is monitoring officer in OSCE missions. He is graduated from the Greek Police Academy and held the position of brigade general in the Greek Police and Public Security Ministry.
Jozsef Zsifkovics has served in the Hungarian Defense Forces for 20 years (1999-2019). Currently, he works as a logistic specialist in EUMA.
We also introduce Hakob Ghazarian of Armenian origin among the Mission officers. The last position he held before working as interpreter for EUMA was the senior researcher at the Office of the Security Council of Armenia. We underline it: the Security Council of Armenia!
In general, we see that the major part of 28 persons is composed of police, military and intelligence officers. Many of them are citizens of France, Germany, and even US and Canada, non-EU members.
The military nature of this civil mission is seen in visits of William de Meyer, brigade general of the National Gendarmerie of France to the conditional border between Azerbaijan and Armenia on February 2 who has used the binoculars to monitor Azerbaijani territories. This shows that France is using the civil mission for its military and intelligence goals.
It becomes clear that EUMA has an objective turn the conditional border between Azerbaijan and Armenia into a new contact line, build strongholds there, provide intelligence data for Armenian military and others.
These screenshots we submit show the newly constructed military bases, trenches and constant move of troupes related to the Armenian army in the territories monitored by EUMA or more precisely, located on the border with Azerbaijan.
1) This screenshot shows military training in the place near the positions of Azerbaijani troupes in the territory of Sisian district of Syunik province of Armenia.
2) These photos demonstrate the visit and the observation by Sasun Melkonian, the current head of Yerkrapa, the terrorist organization in the region bordering Lachin, Azerbaijan.
3) These photos and videos uploaded by members of Armenian social media demonstrate that a new military base is created in the territory near the conditional border not far from the city of Gafan, Armenia.
4) This photo shows time lapse in constructing new military base of Armenia in 2021 and 2024 on the conditional border with Azerbaijan, or namely, at the Jermuk Airport.
5) The new military base of armed forces of Armenia on the conditional border with Nakhchivan. (coordinates: 39.79288355986334, 44.90954465379545)
6) These photos show that Armenia makes serious preparations for the new war. Videos are shot in the territory of the Syunik province by showing three strongholds and fire positions. (Coordinates: 39.20100907877664, 46.48413975445008)
All of these happen in the territories monitored by EUMA and near the conditional border with Azerbaijan. However, EUMA does neither statement nor reports to its leadership. In the meantime, Stano alleges that the mission is impartial and civil.
False statement 3. EU is mobilized to support peacebuilding efforts in the region.
Our comment: As known, during last year, four meetings took place between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia in Brussels under the mediation of Charles Michel, President of the European Council. These meetings have helped to conduct serious discussions to advance peace agenda for signing a final peace agreement between both sides. These discussions have been creating an impression that Azerbaijan and Armenia would sign a peace agreement soon. However, the last Prague meeting has changed everything. Thus, the idea of EUMA mission has dashed hopes to obtain a peace between two countries. This mission with its unknown goals has rendered big ‘services’ in creating the current situation.
It means that if we glance to the activities of EU mission in past period that started since October 2022, it becomes clear that it has paralyzed the confidence building measures between Azerbaijan and Armenia by creating a stronghold in the territory of Armenia against Azerbaijan and supporting the militarization of Armenia to create the way for military and intelligence actions undermining the security of other countries as well.
While receiving Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on 1 February 2024, President Ilham Aliyev has stated that the de facto peace exists already between Azerbaijan and Armenia by citing the peaceful atmosphere observed for several months on the border between two countries.
However, it seems that a positive wave created out of the existence of peaceful atmosphere, the prospective of signing a peace treaty and the delimitation and demarcation actions to define borders between two countries, is not liked by power axis that rule Armenia.
This mission that proclaimed its goals to contribute to the regional stability and confidence building between Armenia and Azerbaijan did not achieve any of its targets of confidence building and facilitating border commissions. On the contrary, it impedes confidence building and plays a catalytic role for military provocations on the conditional border.
