By YEREVAN. Nov 20 (Interfax) – Armenia and the European Union have signed an agreement on the status of the EU mission in Armenia (EUMA).
The document was signed by Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan and Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Vassilis Maragos, Armenia’s Armenpress state news agency said.
“This mission has already offered a lot to Armenia in terms of stability and security. The status agreement we signed today will help bring greater legal certainty when it comes to regulating the various rights and obligations of the mission’s presence in the country,” Maragos said.
Several days ago, the EU foreign ministers approved a proposal on expanding the EUMA.
“We are ready to move forwards and further strengthen the presence of the mission in the country, to contribute to stability and monitoring on the Armenian side of the border and to see what is taking place,” Maragos said.
“We believe this will improve the people’s security and promote confidence in the region. The EU is seeking to establish peace in the region, and this is one of the tools that we have in Armenia,” he said.
Hovhannisyan said it was too early to speak about amending the EU mission’s mandate, and the parties only plan to increase the mission’s personnel and bolster its capability.
“Among third parties, the mission has been joined by Canada, and other countries have also displayed an interest,” Hovhannisyan said.
