Brussels, Apr 21 (EFE).- The Council of the European Union established this Tuesday an EU Association Mission in Armenia, the second in the country, with the aim of strengthening democratic resilience as well as its capacities to manage crises before the general elections, scheduled for next June 7.
This civilian mission will support Armenia “in the face of multifaceted threats such as the manipulation and interference of foreign information, cyberattacks and illicit financial flows,” the Council explained in a statement.
It will also offer the country strategic advice and training in various ministries and national institutions for the development of policies “that address threats facing society and institutions” with “a comprehensive and cross-government approach.”
Likewise, it will provide operational advice and will have a project cell responsible for identifying and implementing concrete actions in the areas covered by the mission’s mandate, in coordination with like-minded partners.
“When Armenians go to the polls in June, they alone must decide the future of their country. The EU helps protect Armenia’s resilience,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas.
The mission will have an initial mandate of two years and its operational headquarters will be in Armenia, with the director general of the civil operations headquarters of the European External Action Service, Stefano Tomat, as commander of the operation.
Tomat will exercise command and control of the mission at the strategic level, under the political control and strategic direction of the Political and Security Committee of the Council, and the general authority of the high representative.
The first EU-Armenia summit will take place on May 4 and 5 in the South Caucasus country, which will be attended by the President of the European Council, António Costa, together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. EFE
