The European Union (EU) monitoring mission in Armenia is engaged in gathering intelligence against Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS, AzVision.az reports.

"Many of the risks Armenia is facing today could have been mitigated if Yerevan had agreed in 2022 to implement, through the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization), a set of measures to stabilize the situation on the border with Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, the Armenian leadership chose to invite the EU mission, which does not protect the state borders at all but rather engages in intelligence gathering against Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia under the guise of 'monitoring'," he said.

According to Galuzin, regarding the CSTO, "serious initiatives were discussed, including military-technical assistance, the deployment of a monitoring mission, and assistance in training border guards".

To note, the EU monitoring mission in Armenia was initiated on January 23, 2023. Initially, there were 100 employees. However, on December 11, the same year, it was decided to expand the number to 209 people.

In April, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stressed the importance of the EU surveillance mission, claiming it provides "objective" information regarding the border situation with Azerbaijan. Pashinyan also recommended extending the mission's mandate.

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