Luxembourg MPs Meet Representatives of EU Mission in Armenia

Luxembourg's parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, has reported that Luxembourg MPs met with representatives of the EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) on Thursday 23 May 2024.

Following speeches and meetings on Wednesday 22 May 2024, the Luxembourg parliamentary delegation had the opportunity to learn about the impact of the current geopolitical situation on the local population along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The visiting Luxembourg MPs went on patrol with representatives of EUMA, a mission launched in February 2023 for a two-year period. This civilian mission is tasked with observing and reporting on the situation.

As the Chamber of Deputies explained, the mission involves 210 people, including 170 from EU member states, who are working to contribute to security along the (approximately) 1,000-kilometre border. The Luxembourg MPs met the heads of this mission at the headquarters in Yeghegnadzor in southern Armenia to learn about their daily work.

The Chamber of Deputies noted that the sole Luxembourg representative of the mission, a professional police officer, spoke about daily contact with the inhabitants of the border region, welcoming the interest that the representatives of the mission showed.

The patrols (about 2,000 since the start of the mission) aim to help reduce the number of incidents and increase the feeling of security and safety of the local population, noted Luxembourg's parliament. The officials explained to MPs the challenge posed by the part of their mission aimed at building trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan, since the mission does not have access to the territory of Azerbaijan.

For their last official meeting, the Luxembourg MPs were received by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Points of discussion included the prime minister's vision on the departure of Russian troops who had been stationed in Armenia, as well as thoughts on EUMA. Prime Minister Pashinyan affirmed that this mission had a "very positive" impact. Discussions also focused on his vision of the next steps in normalising relations between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The meeting with EUMA representatives formed part of the two-day official visit of a Luxembourg parliamentary delegation to Armenia led by Chamber of Deputies President Claude Wiseler. MPs Yves Cruchten, Octavie Modert, Sven Clement and Georges Engel were also present.