YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS. The third sitting of the Armenia-EU Partnership Committee established under the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enahnced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) took place on April 28 in Yerevan. It was the first meeting after the CEPA came into force on March 1. The implementation process of the Agreement was discussed during the meeting of the Partnership Committee, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the EU Delegation to Armenia.

The EU emphasized its strong engagement in the region, and expressed appreciation for Armenia’s continued commitment to reform and for the very good cooperation in various sectors. The EU encouraged the country to carry on with the implementation of concrete reforms in line with the CEPA. The EU welcomed recent efforts to engage into peace talks and highlighted the humanitarian and recovery support it continues to provide.

As a key reform partner for Armenia and the largest donor, the EU stands ready to provide further expertise and financial assistance to strengthen the government's capacity to design and deliver key governance reforms and approximate to the EU standards in line with its CEPA commitments. The ultimate aim of our partnership is to provide concrete benefits to the citizens of both the EU and Armenia.

To strengthen the country’s long-term resilience and leverage public and private investments to support the green and digital transition, the EU will continue to work closely with Armenia and partner with International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to progress with the implementation of the Economic and Investment Plan and its priority flagship projects.

Regarding the implementation of the CEPA, the discussion focused on the rule of law, including the role of an independent and efficient justice system, fight against corruption and the respect of human rights. The EU and Armenia will continue their policy dialogue and their cooperation on the implementation of the Justice sector reform, while expanding such policy discussions to the education sector to advance the finalisation and implementation of the education reform strategy. EU encouraged Armenia to make further progress towards greater freedom of the media, while appreciating the work done.

The Partnership Committee also looked at CEPA implementation in the fields of transport, energy, environment and climate action. On air transport, the EU and Armenia agreed to enhance collaboration on air safety, building on the Common Aviation Area Agreement signed in November 2021. On Energy, the EU and Armenia agreed to follow the implementation of the Armenian National Action Plan on nuclear safety, adopted as a part of the EU supported Stress test process. The discussions also took stock of economic development, employment and education reforms. The EU congratulated Armenia for joining Horizon Europe. The meeting also reviewed progress on migration and mobility and acknowledged the willingness of Armenia to start a visa liberalisation dialogue.

Finally, the Partnership Committee discussed issues related to the Eastern Partnership and regional affairs.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Mr Luc Devigne, Deputy Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia at the European External Action Service.