EU opens operation center in southern Armenia

The operational base of the EU Observation Mission in Armenia was opened in Kapan on August 2.

In his speech, head of the EU Mission to Armenia Markus Ritter expressed hope that the opening of this center will bring peace to Syunik.

"The center in Kapan is very important from a military point of view, it will allow us to get better acquainted with the situation and prepare reports. This will also allow our observers to shorten the road of traffic. I hope that our presence here will contribute to the peace process," Markus Ritter said.

According to him, they intend to have six operational bases in Armenia. He noted that currently they already have 90 employees.

Earlier, it was reported that the operational base was opened in Goris.

In June, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that such a move would causes concern in Moscow.

"The launch of the mission, which aimed to help normalize relations between Baku and Yerevan, took place unilaterally, on a non-consensual basis, without the consent of the Azerbaijani side and other regional players, and without proper reporting," Maria Zakharova said.

She noted that this move confirms the true motive of the EU policy in the region, the main purpose of which is to "squeeze Russia out of the Transcaucasus and turn the South Caucasus into an arena of geopolitical confrontation to the detriment of the core interests of the people living there."

According to the official's assessment, the increase in the number of EU monitoring points "has nothing to do with the task of establishing stability and peace in relations between Baku and Yerevan."

"The EU 'experts'...are not able to ensure security and compliance with the cease-fire agreements reached with the decisive role of Russian mediation. The presence of the Russian peacekeeping contingent remains a guarantee of peace in the region," Maria Zakharova said.