The European Union today began deploying an observer mission to Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, the two former Soviet republics in the Caucasus that have been in conflict for years over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The risk of an escalation remains high in this enclave that belongs to Azerbaijan, yet its inhabitants are, for the most part, Armenian. The two countries have started peace talks and the West is making efforts to find a peaceful settlement in the region, which Russia considers its sphere of influence.

“The European Union is today launching a political mission to Armenia”, the EUMA, the European Council announced. The observers will be deployed for two years on the Armenian side of the border. The mission, requested by Yerevan, will consist of about 100 members, of which 50 are “unarmed observers”. Its aim is “to contribute to the stability of the border zones of Armenia”, according to the same source.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturian expressed his gratitude, via Twitter, to the EU and its members “for this show of strong solidarity” in his country and assessed that the mission “will play a role in de-escalation” and help peace of the area.

Yerevan recently accused Baku of attempting “ethnic cleansing” in Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing Armenians living there to leave the enclave. Since mid-December, a road critical to the enclave’s supply has been blocked by Azeri activists who say they are fighting to protect the environment.

On Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that his country had sent Azerbaijan a draft peace agreement to end the war. Baku is “studying” these proposals, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Saturday, after the meeting he had in Munich with Pashinyan, which he described as “constructive”.