Galuzin, who gave an interview to Sputnik news agency on Friday, pointed out that Moscow has repeatedly warned that the EU is seeking to gain a foothold in the region to the detriment of the interests of Armenia’s traditional partners in the South Caucasus, like Russia, Iran and Türkiye.

The Russian deputy foreign minister noted that “there are no tangible results in the work of EU observers” and that “their presence does not prevent periodic escalations along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.”

They send their reports directly to Brussels, without sharing them even with the Armenian side. We have every reason to assume that the West collects intelligence on Russian facilities in this nation and on all of Armenia’s neighbors, the diplomat noted.

The European Union Mission in Armenia was officially installed in February 2022 for a two-year period that may be extended. Its full staff consists of 103 people, all civilians.

Russia has a military base in Armenia, the so-called 102nd base in the town of Gyumri.

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