YEREVAN. – The European Union fully supports the work of the OSCE field offices, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) of the European Parliament, David McAllister, told journalists on Thursday.

To the question of Armenian News – NEWS.am reporter as to whether he considers destructive the police of Azerbaijan, which led to the closing of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, he noted that the closing of the OSCE Office in Yerevan is, of course, the issue of the OSCE and not EU. At the same time, he expressed regret over the impossibility to reach consensus on the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan despite the efforts of Germany and then Austria.

According to him, the presence of the OSCE on the ground is an important tool for implementing the organization’s principles. EU fully supports the work of these offices, Mr McAllister said, adding that they presented their stance during the meeting with the representatives of international organizations Thursday morning.

According to the official statement of the OSCE, the Office in Yerevan will stop its activity on August 31. Armenia remained the only country in the South Caucasus region, where the OSCE office operated. In 2015, the OSCE Office was closed in Baku. The mandate of the OSCE Office in Georgia expired in December 2008.

The operation of the OSCE Office in Yerevan “hung in the air” due to the lack of consensus on extension of its mandate. Azerbaijan raised claims against the program related to demining trainings.