Russia and Azerbaijan take aim at EU’s mission in Armenia

The EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia has been making headlines in Armenia in recent weeks following the Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev’s claims in August that the mission should be withdrawn.

Hikmet Hajiyev, speaking with Politico in late August, suggested that progress in bilateral talks on a joint border commission deal, set to demarcate the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, “should be seen as sufficient for the withdrawal of the EU contingent.”

The EUMA is a non-executive, non-armed civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Mission established in 2023. It follows a prior EU mission (EUMCAP) that operated briefly in Armenia in late 2022.

The current mission was lobbied for by the Armenian government after an attack by Azerbaijani armed forces in Armenian territories in mid-September 2022, resulting in over 300 casualties and territorial losses.

Since the establishment of the mission, the volatile situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border has noticeably stabilised, with a significant decrease in the death toll of soldiers on both sides.

If, according to official Armenian statistics, 224 Armenian military and civilians were killed in Azerbaijani incursion into Armenian territory on 13-14 September 2022, the biggest hostility of 2024 caused four military deaths on the Armenian side.

Despite its positive contributions, the mission has been constantly the target of systematic disinformation campaigns from Russia and Azerbaijan alike, aimed at discrediting its role and purpose and presenting it as a tool for the West hybrid warfare in the region.

“The campaigns targeting the EUMA have striking similarities in the messaging from both countries’ officials, suggesting a synchronised attempt to discredit European involvement in Armenia,” Barseghyan adds.

NATO’s ‘hybrid warfare tool’

In one of his interviews from earlier this year, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Mikhail Galuzin claimed that the EU monitoring mission is an instrument of the EU’s hybrid war against Azerbaijan, Russia, and Iran. He further stated that the mission’s alleged “lack of transparency and accountability threatened the regional stability.”

Canada’s involvement in the mission, with the deployment of one civilian monitor in April 2024, has further fueled this narrative. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Aykhan Hajizada, claimed in September that due to Canada’s joining the EUMA, the mission is, in fact, a NATO mission.

Hajizada’s statement echoed almost identical claims made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov a few weeks prior. According to Lavrov, the EUMA was morphing into a NATO mission since servicemen from Norway, Canada, and the United States are joining it.

These claims came although the EU had emphasised the mission remaining strictly civilian, moreover unarmed.

Allegations of intelligence-gathering

The civilian nature of the EUMA has led Russian and Azerbaijani sources to accuse the mission of intelligence-gathering.

This narrative gained traction after February 2024 when Azerbaijani authorities arrested a Czech national who allegedly entered Azerbaijan illegally from Armenia. Azerbaijani military-affiliated media speculated that the individual might have ties to Western intelligence services and the EU mission.

Such claims align with statements made by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who asserted in March that the EUMA was spying on Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan, escalating tensions in the region.

Similarly, Russian Ambassador to Armenia, Sergei Kopirkin, stated in an interview that the mission does not protect the state’s borders at all, but “under the guise of ‘monitoring’ is engaged in collecting intelligence against Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.”

Media outlets in Armenia that are thought to have close ties to Russia amplified these claims.

Against Azerbaijan and Russia

Another recurring narrative accuses the mission of functioning as an EU propaganda tool against Azerbaijan and Russia.

In February 2024, Azerbaijan’s ministry of foreign affairs questioned the impartiality of EUMA and condemned it for “binocular diplomacy.” It claimed the mission was allegedly using the visits for European officials and informal delegations to border areas to spread “anti-Azerbaijani narratives” and “Azerbaijanophobia.”

Russia, too, advanced this narrative, with Deputy Foreign Minister Galuzin claiming that the EUMA was spreading “anti-Russian propaganda” and “false ideas” about the EU as a guarantor of Armenia’s security while simultaneously engaging in activities that harmed Russian, Azerbaijani, and Iranian interests.

Russian media and officials further portrayed the mission as an agent of Western influence in the South Caucasus.

Disinformation campaigns

Russian and Azerbaijani media have painted the mission as a neo-colonial EU project. They claim it is part of the EU’s supposed aspirations to create a post-modernist empire, extending its influence under the guise of conflict resolution.

Some others instead aim to delegitimise the mission by presenting it as merely inefficient despite the significant decrease in military incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Interestingly, all of the abovementioned narratives have been circulated within Armenia by media outlets and experts reportedly affiliated with Russia.

“These narratives are distributed in Armenia by even mere reproduction of the statements of high-level Russian officials, such as Sergei Lavrov or Mariya Zakharova,” Ani Grigoryan, the editor and founder of #CivilNetCheck, told Euractiv.

“Often the Armenian media are just translating these statements with no disclaimers or fact-checked and verified information added to these statements․ Тhis vicious practice strengthens these narratives in the Armenian media space,” Grigoryan continues.

Despite continuous efforts by Russian and Azerbaijani officials to discredit the mission, the EU’s continued presence and increased support to stabilise the volatile security situation in the Caucasus help Armenia to reinforce its sovereignty and democracy.