YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenia attaches importance to the signing of the new comprehensive and expanded partnership agreement with the European Union, assuring that it will continue its reforms in the political and human rights arenas, Armen Ashotyan – vice president of Armenia’s Republican Party said at the Political Assembly of the European People’s Party (EPP).

“We fully realize that reforms will contribute to Armenia’s progress towards a large-scale democracy and will enable to maximally benefit from positive changes”, Ashotyan said.

He touched upon the closure of the OSCE Yerevan Office – as result of Azerbaijan’s veto – mentioning that although Armenia and OSCE will continue further constructive cooperation, this occurrence is yet another proof of Azerbaijan’s destructive policy.

As a new example of Azerbaijan’s human rights violations, Ashotyan mentioned the kidnapping of an Azerbaijani journalist from Tbilisi to Baku, where he has been arrested and is awaiting criminal punishment.

“I would also like to emphasize the role and significance of the OSCE Minsk Group – as the only effective tool of maintaining stability and settlement of the conflict. In this context, I would like to underscore that for the first time the OSCE MG Co-Chairs made a targeted statement on May 18 in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement negotiation process – regarding the escalation in the line of contact during May 15-17”, Ashotyan said.