The European Union’s actions are aimed at pushing Russia out of the process of regulating Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, Russia’s ambassador to Azerbaijan Mikhail Bocharnikov said in an interview with the Azerbaijani platform “Haqqin.”
“I think we should not be fooled by the term ‘civilian mission’ (referring to the EU civilian observation mission to be deployed in Armenia – Ed.). You said there are grounds to assume it will not be entirely civilian. I have heard that it is already being discussed that French police officers will be included in the composition of this mission,” Bocharnikov noted.
On 23 January, the Council of the European Union adopted a decision to establish a new EU civilian mission in Armenia for a two-year term. The precise parameters of the mission are to be determined in the near future.
“The likelihood of that mission turning into a certain presence with possible military components, as well as the likelihood that this mission will begin to cast its eye on the territory of Karabakh, which would be considered a violation of its mandate, compels us to say that there are dangers,” the Russian diplomat noted.
According to him, if there are attempts to expand that mission’s presence in Karabakh, it could create problems for the Russian peacekeepers and border guards present in the region.
“Such problems are a security danger for the entire region, for the entire South Caucasus. We, the constituent units of this region, the inhabitants of this region, do not need extra-regional forces to solve our problems here,” Bocharnikov emphasized.
He added that there are no grounds for bringing an extra-regional actor into the South Caucasus.
“However, the European Union is pursuing precisely that. Moreover, it is doing so very carelessly, without coordinating with Azerbaijan. Of course, on this issue the European Union seems to be a direct appendage of the United States and NATO, which view the territory of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as a zone of confrontation with Russia and are in reality trying to introduce a geopolitical component here, into this regional situation,” the Russian ambassador said.
