YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The EU salutes the progress recorded by Armenia in justice sphere, reads the joint statement of Andrius Kubilius, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and Gayane Abrahamyan, Head of Armenian Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly On the EU assistance for Armenia to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 crisis, protect democracy and continue reforms necessary to sustain the economic recovery.

'' We believe that the successful implementation of the comprehensive reforms by Armenia, in areas such as the rule of law, justice and fight against corruption, will create new incentives for an ambitious path towards European integration and the next steps to be taken by Armenia and the EU in the next decade. In this respect, we welcome Armenia’s commitment to implement reforms despite the challenging circumstances, including the implementation of CEPA and, in particular, the reforms of judiciary and the police, which the EU will continue to support while addressing the impact of COVID-19 crisis. We see a potential of upgrading this relationship even further together with a strategic communication of Armenia’s achievements.

The EU is a key reform partner and the largest donor in Armenia and it stands together with Armenia in a moment of crisis with strong solidarity and international cooperation. The EU increased its annual average assistance from EUR 40 million to EUR 65 million'', reads the statement.

The statement also refers to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Armenia and the EU, noting that it is growing into an enhanced and strategically reinforced partnership between Armenia and the EU.

Editing and Translating by Tigran Sirekanyan