On February 12, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned Peter Michalko, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Azerbaijan, to express serious concerns regarding the activity of the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia. During the meeting, Azerbaijan emphasized that the mission's actions contradicted the initial agreements and were causing apprehension.

Azerbaijan underscored that instead of contributing to regional stability and fostering confidence between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia had been misused for propaganda against Azerbaijan. The mission, referred to as "binocular diplomacy," was accused of organizing visits of European officials and unofficial delegations to border regions, which were used to propagate anti-Azerbaijani sentiment and baseless Azerbaijanophobia.

Azerbaijan highlighted that such activities occurred despite the prevailing calm along the border and the implementation of confidence-building measures by both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Moreover, Azerbaijan raised concerns about the mission's failure to prevent an illegal crossing attempt in the regions it monitored, contradicting its stated objectives of promoting trust and confidence as a neutral actor.

Baku urged the EU to ensure that the mission operates neutrally, as a civilian and unarmed entity, in line with its mandate. The EU was urged to refrain from activities that could undermine Azerbaijan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, or legitimate security interests. Azerbaijan emphasized the need for the EU to address these concerns promptly and effectively.

Notably, at the start of February, reports surfaced regarding the apprehension of a Czech citizen purportedly for illegally crossing the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Media outlets aligned with the government suggested that the individual was associated with Western intelligence and was linked to the EU border monitoring mission. However, Petr Pirunčik, the Czech ambassador to Armenia, refuted these assertions, denying any connection between the detained individual and Western intelligence agencies or the EU border monitoring mission.