During the meeting, the activities of the mission that ended on December 19, 2022 were summarized. The parties were pleased to note the effective cooperation between the mission and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Armenia, expressing hope that it will continue effectively during the activity of the new mission.

Suren Papikyan presented the latest regional developments, particularly the closure of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan from December 12 and the serious humanitarian challenges that emerged as a result.

The Minister of Defence highly appreciated the involvement of the EU in strengthening peace and stability in the region, stressing the role of observation missions, and expressed the willingness of the Ministry of Defence to continue supporting the new EU observation mission by all means.