YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS: In its capacity as the country presiding over the Council of the European Union (EU), Latvia will hold one of the major high-level foreign policy events of its Presidency – the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit – in Riga today and tomorrow, Armenpress reports, citing the Latvian Information Agency.

The meeting will bring together senior officials from the 28 EU Member States and six EaP partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – as well as the political leadership of EU institutions, including Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission.

The Riga Summit is expected to confirm the strategic importance of the EaP policy as part of the European Neighborhood Policy within the overarching EU external policy. The summit will also address the current issues and challenges related to the implementation of the EaP and outline the main directions in the EU’s cooperation with partner countries in the coming years, the Foreign Ministry informs.

The Riga Summit, which Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Unity) has on several occasions called a ''wartime summit'', will be launched today with an official working dinner for heads of EU and EaP member states.

The Summit’s Plenary Session will take place at the Latvian National Library on 22 May, with participation of all the high-ranking delegates, to be followed by a press conference to present the Summit’s results.

The heads of state from the EU and the EaP countries will approve a joint declaration that will provide an evaluation of what has been achieved till now and map out the priorities and goals of the EaP in advance of the next summit.

It is expected that one of the key political messages of the Summit will be confirming the strategic significance of the EaP policy, focusing on the partnership of each of the countries included and emphasizing readiness to develop and deepen the EU’s bilateral relations in a differentiated manner with each of the six partners countries on the basis of jointly formulated priorities. The Summit will underscore the EaP policy-making principles – a partnership based on openness, transparency and mutual setting of shared goals, emphasizing the fact that the EaP is not confrontational and not directed against any third parties, including Russia.

The Riga Summit will be the first since the signing of the Association Agreements between the EU and three partner countries – Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. These agreements provide for a closer political association and economic integration between the EU and those countries. The Summit will assess the preliminary results of the provisional application of the Association Agreements. Successful implementation of the agreements will be one of key priorities in the EU’s relations with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, which will enable these partner countries to modernize their economies and social system.

The EU will also pledge strong political and practical support for the application of the Association Agreements. Latvia believes that the signing and implementation of the Association Agreements in the three partner countries will form a sound basis for deepening of relations between the EU and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Where the implementation of the Association Agreements proceeds successfully, Latvia is open to the consideration and introduction of further forms of integration with the partners.

The Summit will also explore the development of opportunities offered by the EaP policy in cooperation with other three partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. The EU will confirm its readiness to individualize its approach even more in the dialogue with these partner countries, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with each in different fields.