Diplomacy

Within a tumultuous peace and security environment in the South Caucasus, the European Union has over time established itself in multiple capacities. A network of financial, diplomatic, and security ties comprise the Union’s larger interests in working together with Armenia and Azerbaijan for the benefit of peace, security and stability in the region.  The European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) fulfils an active part in the EU’s contribution to the normalisation process in the South Caucasus. The monitors patrol the entire length of Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan from six Forward Operating Bases on the Armenian side. The Mission conducts both day and night patrols. Total staff of EUMA is over 200 international and national members who are working in different roles such as monitors and in supporting functions. One important task of the Mission is to build confidence among local border communities. Azerbaijan has repeatedly criticised EUMA, describing it as a “propaganda tool” used against Azerbaijan, and viewing the Mission’s presence on the Armenian side of the border with suspicion. In this final issue of Thursday Interview ahead of a summer recess, we speak to Ms. Satu Koivu, who has since March of this year served as Head of Mission for the European Union Mission in Armenia. HoM Koivu started her career in the Finnish police force, over time building a distinguished career in policing, crisis management, international peacekeeping, and security sector reform.  Before taking up her post in Armenia, she served as Senior Police Adviser and Head of Police Component in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. She has also held advisory and training roles in EU and UN policing missions and courses, including in Palestine, Rwanda, Kenya, and Finland. At the national level, she has held senior positions in the Finnish police, including as Assistant Police Commissioner and Chief of Human Resources Development at the National Police Board of Finland, where her work focused on capacity building, organisational development, police leadership, and professional standards. We speak to HoM Koivu about her professional life before taking up her post in Armenia, how EUMA fits into the region’s wider goal of peace and stability, the negative perception of the Mission in Azerbaijan, and what it means to build trust and confidence in a still fragile post-conflict environment. (To read the full interview, click on the image above)