Hikmat Hajiyev: EU mission on Azerbaijan-Armenia border must end its activity

The presence of third-party forces on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a concerning issue, stated Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, Report informs.

Hajiyev emphasized that there is no need for the deployment of a European Union mission on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border.

"The activities of this mission should already be concluded. The mission was initially agreed upon during a meeting in Prague attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, French President Emmanuel Macron, then-President of the European Council Charles Michel, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with the understanding that it would be short-term. However, the mission has taken on a permanent character and its composition and mandate are being expanded,” he stated.

The official stressed that if the delimitation and demarcation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is carried out in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and peace, there is no need for the presence of a third force or its enrichment with military personnel.

He noted that the EU mission does not serve as a factor in expanding peace in the region, and added that the strengthening of peace is a process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Hajiyev warned that the presence of a third country on the border and the emergence of the European Union as a security and military factor in the South Caucasus could lead to increased tensions between the two countries. He also noted that some European countries are pursuing their own plans in Armenia under the guise of the EU mission.