Speaker of Parliament of Finland expresses full support for Armenia’s EU integration

Speaker of Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho has highlighted the continuing reforms in Armenia for the process of EU integration.

Speaker Jussi Halla-aho visited Armenia as part of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Speakers of Parliament delegation.

He told Armenpress that during the meetings with Armenian officials they discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan situation and how to achieve permanent peace that would be acceptable for all sides.

“Of course, we also discussed Armenia’s European aspirations. We want to understand whether there is political consensus in Armenia regarding what has to be done about the country’s future. We told our hosts very clearly that we fully support Armenia’s economic, trade and security integration to the European Union. However, there are some problems and obstacles on that path that must be resolved, such as Armenia’s membership to the CSTO, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Russian military presence in Armenia and others. Thus, as to how far the EU is ready to go in terms of integration depends on what the Armenians want and are ready to do,” the Speaker said, attaching importance to ongoing reforms in Armenia.

Asked about the ongoing process in Armenia seeking EU integration and how Brussels can contribute to it, the Speaker of Parliament of Finland said, “First of all, we want to encourage the Armenians to implement the reforms that I mentioned. And Armenia must continue to end its dependence from Russia in all areas for future integration into European structures. But in our discussions, it became clear that Armenians want to do this. Thus, these two processes, on one hand the European integration, and on the other hand withdrawing from Russia’s zone of influence should proceed parallelly.”

Speaker Jussi Halla-aho also called for continuing activities of the European Union monitoring mission in Armenia (EUMA).

“I think it is important for the EU to continue its monitoring mission on the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is important for reducing tensions and avoiding small-scale escalations on the border. But certainly, a permanent solution is necessary between Armenia and all its regional neighbors. And we will raise this in our bilateral talks with Turkiye and Azerbaijan,” he added.