BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 15. The EU observation mission in Armenia is not fulfilling its initial goal, Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on special assignments, said in an interview with Brussels Signal, Trend reports.
"Unfortunately, lately we have seen some signs that the EU observation mission in Armenia is not basically fulfilling its initial goal. The expected goal was to raise the confidence level between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to decrease tension. We have already become accustomed to the practice of regular visits by various ambassadors from EU member states and some military personnel to this portion of the border. During these visits, they take photos and use binoculars to observe the Azerbaijani side.
This observation mission was formed with a clear mandate to ensure their presence in this Armenian territory and to increase the level of confidence. What is clear today is that, due to the so-called "binocular diplomacy", it's not being attained. I think this runs counter to that, and unfortunately, maybe I'm not insisting on that, but the fact that the Armenian soldiers have decided to open fire was somehow related to this sensation," he said.
Amirbayov emphasized that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan is exploring measures to achieve a peaceful resolution without breaching the ceasefire.
"Combatants but also military personnel, you know, looking at positions through binoculars, taking photos, and then distributing these on different social media platforms, claiming that it is only because of them that Azerbaijan is not attacking Armenia. These are not the steps aimed at increasing confidence between the two parties, and more so, they do not reflect reality. The fact that there is no violence, or there has not been any violence along the border, is because Azerbaijan took its commitment to observe this ceasefire very seriously and tried to find a solution to outstanding problems through dialogue," he added.