In an interview published in the German newspaper Deutsche Welle, the head of the European Union (EU) Mission in Armenia, Markus Ritter, claimed that "Armenia claimed that Azerbaijan was preparing for an attack in the spring," and noted that "if such an attack does not happen, it will be a success for the EU Mission."

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aykhan Hajizade, said in response:

"We strongly condemn the fact that the head of the EU Mission, based on the false and slanderous claims of the Armenian side, expresses opinions that Azerbaijan is preparing for any attack, and presents the main task of the EU Mission as "protecting Armenia from Azerbaijan".

We have repeatedly emphasized the need to prevent this Mission from being misused to undermine the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

It should be ensured that the location of the EU mission in Armenia takes into account the legitimate interests of Azerbaijan, as well as that the activities of this mission are carried out by the EU in a way that does not undermine mutual trust and confidence.

It should not allow the Armenian side to abuse the presence of the EU Mission in order to aggravate the situation and evade its obligations.

The EU Mission should not give place to false and slanderous claims and should act according to its mandate.