European Union (EU) foreign ministers today gave the green light to the launch of a new civilian mission in Armenia, which shall help Yerevan combat hybrid threats—foreign manipulation of electoral processes, cyberattacks, and illegal political funding, reports Azatutyun, the RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

The new mission will start operating in the coming months, will have a two-year mandate, and will be called the “European Union Partnership Mission in the Republic of Armenia” (EUPM Armenia).

Armenia had requested the EU to send this new mission in December last year. After discussions in Brussels and in Armenia, the bloc’s ambassadors last week voted unanimously in favor of the proposal to set up this mission.

EUPM Armenia will essentially replace the EU civilian monitoring mission in Armenia (EUMA), established in 2023 to monitor the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to contribute to confidence-building efforts. Its four-year mandate ends in early 2027. It has more than 200 members and was created to contribute to stability in Armenia’s border regions and to assist efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan through patrols and reporting.

The new mission, meanwhile, is expected to have only 20-30 members, who will mainly work in close cooperation with Armenian authorities in the capital, Yerevan.

EUPM Armenia will have no ties to Azerbaijan, although a previous EU document on the mission, seen by Azatutyun, had stated that Brussels would continue its contacts with Azerbaijan to explain the purpose of the EU’s assistance to Armenia and the need to avoid negatively impacting the ongoing peace process.