The EU has appointed Finnish senior police officer Satu Koivu as the new head of the European Union Mission in Armenia, with her term starting on 6 March 2026.
Koivu will replace Markus Ritter, the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced on Wednesday.
She has more than 35 years of national and international experience and has held leadership roles in UN and EU missions in the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Namibia and Cyprus.
Koivu most recently served as Chief of Human Resources at Finland’s National Police Board in Espoo.
The appointment decision was taken by the EU’s Political and Security Committee on 17 February 2026.
What the EU mission in Armenia does
The European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) is a civilian mission tasked with observing and reporting on the situation on the Armenian side of the Armenia–Azerbaijan border, and contributing to human security in those areas, the EEAS said.
EUMA’s current mandate runs until 19 February 2027.
The mission has more than 200 international and local staff, with observers and civilian experts from 25 EU member states and Canada.
