Hungary lifts veto on new European Peace Facility assistance for Armenia, formalization expected in January - RFE/RL editor

Hungary lifted its veto this week on a €20 million European Peace Facility aid package for Armenia, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak said, a day after the Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed that it had secured consensus for the assistance package.
 

“This week Hungary finally lifted its veto on a 20 million euro EU military aid package (European Peace Facility) for Armenia proposed in March. It will be formalized in January,” he said on X.

"The Ukraine package remains blocked by Budapest for nearly three years," Jozwiak added.

For the first time, the EU decided to support Armenia from the European Peace Facility in 2024. Armenia applied for more support the next year, but Hungary vetoed it.

Before Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace deal this summer, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó explained the veto by saying that while Hungary does not oppose Armenia receiving assistance, Azerbaijan should receive equal assistance as well. He added that the EU should take into account the “instability of the situation.”

According to an official EU press release, the 2024 assistance measure was aimed to enhance the logistical capacities of the Armenian Armed Forces, and to contribute to improved protection of civilians in crises and emergencies. It also aimed to enhance the resilience of Armenia and accelerate interoperability of its Armed Forces in case of possible future participation of the country in international military missions and operations, including those deployed by the EU. Concretely, the adopted assistance allowed the provision of a fully-fledged deployable tent camp for a battalion-sized unit.