Many Armenians Believe There Will Be a Spring Offensive by Azerbaijan

Head of the EU mission in Armenia spoke to a German publication about their current assessment of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.

Markus Ritter, head of the EU mission, said, “The 2020 ceasefire is fragile, and civilians are bracing for a fresh escalation of violence.”

The German media reminds that in July last year Armenia and Azerbaijan approved an EU monitoring mission. Some 100 police officers from various EU countries were assigned to patrol Armenia's border villages and document potential incidents.

Many Armenians are glad about the EU presence, said Ritter. But he is quick to dampen expectations: Observers are not permitted access to Azerbaijani territory. Ritter and his colleagues are therefore unable to detect, for instance, troop movements in preparation of another attack. "Many Armenians believe there will be a spring offensive by Azerbaijan. If this doesn't happen, our mission is already a success," Ritter said.