OPEN LETTER TO COMMISSIONER Kaja Kallas on Clarifications regarding recent statements on interfering with Armenia’s legislative elections.
“The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) is deeply shocked and condemns the proposed European Union policy and accompanying statements, recently articulated by Commissioner Kaja Kallas, regarding financial and technical support for Armenia’s electoral process, framed as a measure to counter “hybrid attacks” and “Russian disinformation attempts”.
While the EAFJD supports robust cooperation between the EU and Armenia in the fields of enhancing rule of law and judicial independence, as stipulated under the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), we view this proposed intervention as a profound and counterproductive interference in the internal, sovereign political life of the Republic of Armenia. Such actions fundamentally violate the core principle of non-interference stipulated within the very framework of CEPA.
The EAFJD believes that the EU’s approach, which selectively targets “disinformation” narratives—which often originate from legitimate domestic political opposition and civil society voices—while simultaneously bolstering the resources of the current ruling government, is a direct challenge to fair democratic competition. The act of funding government-aligned mechanisms to counter internal political critique, under the vague umbrella of “hybrid threats,” constitutes an unacceptable attempt by the EU to pre-judge and influence the electoral outcome in favor of the incumbent. This risks delegitimizing genuine opposition and framing domestic critics as foreign proxies, a tactic that has been utilized by the current government to weaponize the judiciary against its political opponents. The current ruling party has continuously taken advantage of current geopolitical tensions to scapegoat any criticism as “hybrid attacks”.
At a time when serious domestic concerns persist regarding the capture of judicial independence by the executive and the use of state institutions against political rivals, the Armenian Church and others, the EU’s rhetorical and financial support risks providing a powerful international endorsement of the current government’s authoritarian trajectory.
The CEPA framework commits both parties to respect democratic principles and the rule of law. By injecting itself into the pre-election narrative in such a partisan manner, the EU is effectively acting against its own commitment to genuine democracy.
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We also condemn the prioritization of politically charged electoral security projects over the most urgent and non-politicized humanitarian needs; specifically critical aid needed for the thousands of Armenians ethnically cleansed from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the need to take measures to pressure on Azerbaijan and ensure the release of the Armenian hostages held in Baku living under increasingly deteriorating detention conditions.
The decision to direct resources toward a sensitive political agenda rather than the immediate, existential needs of a population who underwent ethnic cleansing, especially when the European Parliament has consistently mandated the European Commission to commit development aid to the displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the release of the Armenian hostages, represents an unacceptable betrayal of the values and spirit of European democracy.
Consequently, The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy requires clarification on the following matters to uphold the integrity of the EU-Armenia relationship:
1. Evidentiary Basis: What explicit, non-political evidence and methodology does the EU rely on to distinguish between legitimate domestic political dissent/free speech and malicious “foreign disinformation” within the Armenian political landscape?
2. Safeguards Against Weaponization: What robust, independent, and verifiable monitoring mechanisms will be implemented to prevent the current Armenian government from using EU-backed funds and tools to target, persecute, or arbitrarily label non-aligned civil society groups, opposition parties, or critical media outlets as “foreign agents” or “disinformation actors”?
3. Increasing democratic backsliding: What robust measures have been considered to address the erosion of rule of law and the exploitation of the judiciary by the executive branch of the Armenian government against their perceived political and domestic opponents?
We urge the European Union to reconsider this policy, refocus its resources on genuine humanitarian support, and refrain from actions that constitute a clear and unwarranted interference in Armenia’s internal political affairs.”
EAFJD – European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy