Veldkamp praised the “important work” of the mission which was extended by the Netherlands and the other EU member states earlier this this year.
“Their contribution to fostering stability and security in the region is invaluable, building trust among local communities,” he said in an X post. “I commend EUMA Head of Mission Markus Ritter and his team for their pioneering work setting up this mission. The Netherlands supports their efforts.”
The mission strongly opposed by Azerbaijan and Russia was launched in February 2023 with the aim of preventing or minimizing ceasefire violations on the Armenian side of the long and heavily militarized border.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly accused the 165 or so monitors of spying on its troops and destabilizing the situation in the conflict zone. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev branded them an “intelligence mission” on Thursday.
“They stand at our borders day and night like spies, looking for convenient openings to sneak through to us,” Aliyev claimed during a security forum in Baku.
The EU has denied such accusations. It has argued that the number of armed incidents along border areas has decreased considerably since the launch of the mission. The Armenian government has also praised the monitors’ record.
Baku has been trying to block their continued deployment through a corresponding clause in a draft peace treaty discussed with Yerevan. The Armenian side insists that the monitors should leave only demarcated sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Only a small section of it has been delimited and demarcated to date.
Veldman and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed a joint declaration on “strategic partnership” between their countries following talks held in Yerevan earlier on Wednesday. The Dutch minister said the document “strengthens our political, economic and social ties, and reaffirms our shared values.” He noted that it does not cover military cooperation.