Armenian Security Council Secretary and Markus Ritter, who heads the European Union’s monitoring mission in Armenia, met today in Yerevan and discussed plans to increase the mission’s civilian and unarmed staff from 138 to 209.

The European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) was deployed on February 20, 2023 with a two-year mandate to monitor the security situation on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

“The increase in mission personnel underlines the EU’s commitment to peace and security in the region. The Mission will now be able to conduct more patrols on the ground. As a result, it will be better placed to observe and report on the security situation on the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, as well as to contribute to human security in conflict-affected areas”, the EUMA quotes Ritter as saying.

The Mission conducts patrols from six Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) located in the cities of Kapan, Goris, Jermuk, Yeghegnadzor, Martuni, and Ijevan. 

Markus Ritter served for twenty-seven years with the German Federal Police and has worked at five international deployments including Georgia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.