EU approves €20 million in aid for Armenia as monitoring mission continues

The 27 European Union member states have approved €20 million (approximately $23.3 million) in assistance for Armenia from the European Peace Facility, following Hungary’s decision to lift its earlier veto, European media reported on Wednesday (28 January).

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó had stated that Hungary would approve assistance for Armenia if a comparable amount was also granted to Azerbaijan.

Following diplomatic engagements, Hungary revised its position.

The funding is the second allocation for Armenia from the European Peace Facility. The fund, established in 2021, aims to prevent conflicts worldwide and provide non-lethal military equipment to countries in need.

The first tranche, provided in July 2024, amounted to €10 million and supported the establishment of a field modular camp, including a medical facility.

The current allocation, which will be disbursed over the next 35 months, is intended to strengthen Armenia’s Armed Forces and defence capabilities through medical equipment and technical training.

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Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said the EU and Armenia should reassess the future role of the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA) in light of progress in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.

Speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mirzoyan noted that the mission had contributed to regional stability but suggested a review to determine how it could support regional development.

“We now have peace, and we should consider how this mission can further contribute to the development of the region,” Mirzoyan said, referring to the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan.

EUMA head Markus Ritter previously indicated that the mission would conclude operations in border areas once a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia is signed.

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The mission, which began on 20 February 2023, had its mandate extended by the EU Council in January 2025 to remain active until 19 February 2027.

The latest funding and statements reflect ongoing EU engagement in Armenia, including security, defence and post-conflict regional stability efforts.

Questions over EU approach

As the EU deepens its engagement with Armenia, the latest assistance package has prompted questions about the motivations shaping Brussels’ approach.

Speaking to AnewZ, Nargiz Mammadova, expert in international relations at the STEM Center, says the size and nature of the allocation require closer examination, particularly at a time when Armenia and Azerbaijan are progressing through a defined peace process.

Mammadova notes that the EU–Armenia cooperation agreement itself contained what she describes as “paradoxical elements”, including statements that, in her view, contradicted the peace agenda established after the Washington summit.

She says it remains unclear which European parliamentarians championed the agreement, what considerations guided its adoption, and why military-oriented assistance is being placed at the forefront of major financial allocations.

“If the conflict is over, it is not logical for the EU to allocate such a large budget to Armenia,” she says, pointing to the absence of a military dimension in the current peace agenda. She argues that the decision raises concerns about coherence and intent.

Mammadova characterises the EU’s approach as displaying “double standards”. She highlights that senior European officials have voiced support for the peace agenda and the outcomes of the Washington process, yet the scale of assistance to Armenia appears, in her view, “irrational” and warrants deeper scrutiny as a potential risk to stability in the South Caucasus.

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EU European Union Peter Szijjarto Hungary Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan Azerbaijan Regional peace South Caucasus Aid package PACE