News - Marcus Ritter: Azerbaijan has not infiltrated Armenia ever since EU monitoring mission’s deployment

The number of incidents has decreased since the arrival of the European Union civilian monitoring mission in Armenia (EUMA), people are not leaving their homes, EUMA has increased international attention to the conflict, but to ensure impartiality, EUMA is not at liberty to say who started the incident. EUMA head Markus Ritter stated this at a forum, entitled "Progress in Uncertainty," in Armenian capital Yerevan The EUMA serves as a deterrent factor, people feel more protected, it is important for EUMA to communicate with the civilian population and understand their sentiments, the mission informs Brussels as well about this, but in the event of a major conflict, EUMA shall leave the combat zone, Ritter said, reminding that EUMA is civilian mission. He emphasized that there were no incursions into Armenia by Azerbaijan after the EUMA deployment, that is the goal, the situation is stable, and fortification work is being carried out, explained Ritter. The EUMA head assured that this mission does not carry out secret operations, they carry out up to seven patrols per day, and in total there have been about 1,000 of them so far. As for the presence of Russian border guards in Armenia, according to him, difficulties arose only when visiting the area adjacent to the Kapan city airport. EUMA went there accompanied by the security forces of Armenia, they don't ask a third party about monitoring, and they ask only Armenia, Ritter concluded.