“Thrilled to welcome the first Canadian Expert Alexander Grushevskiy to the EUMA. Canada is the first Third Contributing State supporting the Mission,” it wrote, thanking the Canadian side for its “valuable cooperation.”
The Canadian mission, in its turn, wrote on X: “Pleased to have a Canadian expert joining the EUMA and to continue Canada’s long-standing tradition of taking part in EU CSDP (Common Security and Defense Policy) missions.”
Canada’s participation in the EU border-monitoring mission in Armenia was first announced in July 2023.
The move was welcomed by official Yerevan that said that it “highly appreciates Canada’s contribution and presence in Armenia for the sake of peace and stability in the region.”
In approving the establishment of a civilian border-monitoring mission in Armenia in January 2023 the EU said that its monitors sent by different EU member states would strive to “contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence and human security in conflict-affected areas, and ensure an environment conducive to the normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
The agreement on such a mission in Armenia between Yerevan and Brussels was first reached in the fall of 2022 when the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian began to openly criticize Russia, a formal political and military ally of Armenia, for failing to respond to its security challenges.
Yerevan, in particular, accused Moscow of refusing to provide support in defending Armenia’s borders following a series of incursions by Azerbaijani forces that resulted in deadly clashes along the heavily militarized frontier in 2021-2022.
About 100 European monitors arrived in Armenia in late February 2023. At present, the number of EUMA monitors in Armenia is 138 and is due to increase to 209 by September.
Last month the Armenian parliament ratified an agreement with the EU on the status of its border-monitoring mission in Armenia, essentially granting diplomatic immunity to EUMA members.
Baku has repeatedly criticized the EUMA, claiming that “the mission is actively used as a tool for anti-Azerbaijani propaganda.” It also claimed that Canada’s participation in it makes it a “de facto NATO mission.”
Officials in Moscow have also criticized the EUMA, claiming that through this mission the West is trying to oust Russia from Armenia and the South Caucasus region as a whole.
European officials have cited EUMA reports on the actual situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on several occasions during escalations.