The European Council announced on Wednesday that Satu Koivu has been appointed as the new head of mission for the EU Monitoring Mission in Ar- menia. She will assume her duties on February 20. The EU’s Political and Security Committee made the appointment on Tuesday. Koivu is a senior police officer from Finland with more than 35 years of national and international experience. She has built extensive international expertise through leadership positions within UN and EU missions in the Pal- estinian Territories, Rwanda, Namibia, and Cyprus. Before her appointment as EUMA Head of Mission, she was de- ployed in the National Police Board of Finland as Chief of Human Resources, based in Espoo, Finland. “The civilian mission EUMA is an essential component of EU efforts to support peace and stability in the South Caucasus region. The Mission is tasked with observing and report- ing on the situation on the ground on the Armenian side of the Armenia- Azerbaijan border, contributing also to human security in these areas. The current mandate of EUMA runs until February 19, 2027,” the EU Council said in statement. EUMA was launched in 2023 for a two-year term at the request of Ar- menia following Azeri incursions. The civilian mission observes and reports on the security situation along the Ar- menian side of the international bor- der with Azerbaijan. In January 2025, the EU extended the mandate of the EUMA for another two years. Both Russia and Azerbaijan have demanded the immediate removal of the EU mission from Armenia, both al- leging that the mission is engaging in espionage. Armenia National Security chief Armen Grigoryan told reporters last week that EUMA has had a positive impact on the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “We are convinced that the Mis- sion has had a positive impact in terms of promoting stability, and it has also contributed to ensuring both regional stability and confidence in stabil- ity and security among populations in border communities,” Grigoryan told reporters on February 12. In response to a question about whether there is a vision for the Mis- sion’s future work, Grigoryan stated that, in any case, Armenia wishes for the EU Monitoring Mission to contin- ue its activities in the country. “One thing is clear: we want the EU civilian mission to continue its presence in Armenia. You know that within the framework of the [initialed] peace treaty we have reached agree- ments; however, it still needs to be signed and ratified in order to enter into force, and then we will understand how to move forward in that regard. But it is unequivocal that we want the Mission to remain in Armenia, and we will continue working in that direc- tion,” Grigoryan said.