EU envoy lauds strong ties with Armenia

The relationship between Armenia and the EU has never been as strong as now, the EU envoy has said.

“The Armenia-EU relationship has never been as strong and close as now,” Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, said at the 4th Meeting of EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee in Yerevan.

“We share democratic values, we continue to develop and enhance our cooperation. We are working on a new partnership agenda,” he said.

The EU ambassador said the goal is to continue the positive progress for the benefit of the citizens. The EU wants to support political dialogue, implementation of democratic, economic and institutional reforms to establish peace and stability in the region, he said.

He said the EU supports the vision on opening transport routes in the South Caucasus under the sovereignty and national jurisdiction of the countries.

“We also involve the Armenian leadership in security dialogues,” he said, highlighting the extension of EUMA.

Speaking about the Armenia-Azerbaijan delimitation and demarcation process, the ambassador said, “We try to find mutually acceptable solutions given the connectivity and humanitarian issues, discussions around the peace treaty. The EU supports the vision on opening regional transport connections under the sovereignty and national jurisdiction of respective countries. The Crossroads of Peace concept is also in our vision,” he said.

He said the EU supported Armenia from the very beginning when Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh were forcibly displaced.

Maragos said the EU provided around 100 million euros not only for primary needs of the displaced persons, but also for protection of their rights.

He also spoke about the rule of law and human rights. “We appreciate that Armenia continues its commitment despite the very difficult conditions in the region,” he said. 

Commenting on the visa liberalization process, the EU envoy described it as a highly important initiative that could boost future cooperation in trade, transport, energy and green/digital transition.