The opening ceremony of the new headquarters of the European Union civilian monitoring mission in Armenia (EUMA) was held Wednesday in Yeghegnadzor city.

At the start of the event, the Armenian and EU anthems were played, after which EUMA head Markus Ritter announced the opening of the headquarters.

In his remarks, Ritter recalled that on February 20, he was again in Yeghegnadzor, standing a few streets away and officially opening this EU mission. At that time, he said, he had only two permanent employees, and three field offices which were functioning and highly dependent on the support of Brussels, EU member states, European missions of the shared security and defense policy, especially the EU mission in Georgia. But today, eight months later, Ritter said he stands in front of their new headquarters, and with 93 mission members sent from 23 EU member states. Although there have been some complications, he can proudly say that EUMA has reached its full operational capacity, he added.

In early September, he said, they had six offices in Kapan, Goris, Jermuk, Yeghegnadzor, and Ijevan cities. With the help of their patrols, they are able to work along the entire length of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ritter said, adding that last week they conducted their 1,000th patrol on the border.

The EUMA chief emphasized that their presence in the border regions contributes to easing tensions and increasing the sense of security among the local population. He said they draw the attention of the entire EU and the international community to this conflict and, with their reports, they contribute to the settlement process between Armenia and Azerbaijan—and with the support of the EU.

Also, Ritter thanked their host country Armenia and its local authorities for their assistance, said everyone agrees that this region deserves lasting peace and stability, and hopes that together they will be able to contribute to the realization of that goal.

In turn, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, Head of the EU Delegation in Armenia, noted that this is the full beginning of the EU mission in Armenia. EUMA has made a valuable contribution to Armenia's stability since its launch this February, they have conducted more than 1,000 patrols and cover thousands of kilometers every day, building trust, and thereby contributing to efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, added Maragos.