Armenia close to Western Balkans on EU indicators, says Ambassador

Armenia, in terms of its indicators, is very close to the Western Balkan countries aspiring to join the European Union, while also having the potential to achieve even more, EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the AIISA Security Forum titled Armenia and Peace: At the Intersection of Risks and Opportunities, Ambassador Maragos noted that in December of last year, the European Union presented a “very interesting” study to the Armenian authorities, in which Armenia was compared for the first time with the Western Balkan countries aspiring to join the EU.

“Interestingly, according to the studies, Armenia is very close to the average indicators of those countries: in some areas it is more advanced, in others less so, but it has the potential to achieve more,” Maragos said.

The ambassador also emphasized that Armenia and the European Union are now actively working to implement the Strategic Agenda for the EU-Armenia Partnership.