CATEGORY RESULTS

Armenia-Azerbaijan, possible progress registered at Brussels meeting

Armenia-Azerbaijan, possible progress registered at Brussels meeting

On Sunday, 14 May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels for renewed talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel. It was the fifth such meeting organised by Michel and it marked a resumption of the Brussels Process. Last year, the talks to normalise relations between the two countries appeared to stall in early December, when Armenia advocated for the inclusion of French President Emmanuel Macron. Azerbaijan rejected the request and the talks did not take place.

read more
Armenia Seeks Security Outside Moscow’s Orbit

Armenia Seeks Security Outside Moscow’s Orbit

Ten days ago, Transitions magazine published my latest on the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA). Though the monitoring mission continues to be appreciated and welcomed in the country, there still remain overly high expectations of what is a small presence along a 1,000 kilometre border with no power or ability to deter any armed incidents or skirmishes.

Indeed, on the day of publication, four Armenian and three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed near the village of Tegh.

read more
Two-Year European Union Monitoring Mission Deployed in Armenia

Two-Year European Union Monitoring Mission Deployed in Armenia

A week after the deployment of the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA), a dedicated 100-person strong observation of the country’s border with Azerbaijan, there’s still much that remains unknown about its activities. However, in two pieces published this week by the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) and Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso, I’ve tried to summarise what we do know. 

read more
European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) starts operations on border with Azerbaijan

European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) starts operations on border with Azerbaijan

The 100-strong European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) today started its two year mission observing the border with Azerbaijan. The deployment follows the temporary two-month European Union Monitoring Capacity (EUMCAP) that ended its duties on 19 December last year. Last week I completed a 1,200 word article on EUMA that includes comments from Armenian and Azerbaijani analysts as well as those involved in the EU’s recruitment process for the mission.

read more
Toivo Klaar: Georgia an important bridge between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Toivo Klaar: Georgia an important bridge between Armenia and Azerbaijan

In an interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster, the European Union’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, has stressed the importance of Tbilisi’s role in bridging the divide between its immediate regional neighbours, Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is highly welcomed and not least because some of us have long argued for the emergence of some kind of “Tbilisi Process” given  that it would be both logical and practical.

read more
Expectations, Hopes, and Fears accompany new European Union Mission in Armenia

Expectations, Hopes, and Fears accompany new European Union Mission in Armenia

The International Crisis Group (ICG) has published a report on the potential role of the new European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) once it is deployed to patrol the country’s sometimes volatile border with Azerbaijan later this month. The mission, a dedicated deployment, is more on par with the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in neighbouring Georgia than the temporary and much shorter-term European Union Monitoring Capacity (EUMCAP) that ended on 19 December last year.

read more