Preliminary perceptions pertain to civilian missions - Deputy FM on potential participation in EU crisis management

Armenia's preliminary perceptions regarding participation in the EU's crisis management operations relate to involvement in EU civilian missions, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan told reporters.

Parliament ratified the Armenia-EU agreement on establishing the framework for Armenia’s participation in the EU’s crisis management operations.

MP Artsvik Minasyan, from the opposition Hayastan faction, inquired at the session about which countries already have similar agreements with the European Union and whether any of them are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) — of which Armenia is an official member, despite its frozen membership status.

He also asked what the military component entails and whether the issue of potential Armenian troop participation in EU military missions would be brought before Parliament.

In response, Vahan Kostanyan stated that countries such as Canada, Switzerland, and Norway have similar agreements with the European Union. He emphasized that the EU's civilian mission (EUMA) is currently deployed in Armenia, with Armenia being a beneficiary in this case. However, the new agreement concerns Armenia’s support for EU missions in other countries, which requires legal clarifications.

“Our preliminary perceptions mainly relate to participation in civilian missions,” Kostanyan noted. “In the case of participation in military missions, all necessary procedures, as defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and the Law on the Armed Forces, will be followed. If my legal knowledge does not fail me, the National Assembly does not have constitutional powers in this regard,” he added.

Minasyan also asked what prevents Armenia from already engaging in EU-led civilian operations without the signing of such an agreement. In response, the Deputy Foreign Minister explained that it is necessary to establish a legal and contractual framework for expanding cooperation.

"This generally fits into the logic of our foreign policy — to expand the scope of cooperation, including legal aspects, and to avoid making specific decisions for each mission," Kostanyan elaborated.