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Armenia, EU Have never been closer, says Mogherini

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Armenia, EU

Armenia, EU

Armenia and the European Union have never been closer than today, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said in a video address to participants of the European Planning Meeting being held in Yerevan these days, the Armenian service of RFE/RL (Azatutyun.am) reports.

The annual event held in the Armenian capital for the first time has brought together 220 youth workers from 24 European countries.

“I know this is the first time that you hold your annual meeting in this part of Europe. And the moment you’ve chosen is just perfect,” Mogherini, who is also vice-president of the European Commission, said in her address to the young people.

“Last November we had a very important summit in Brussels with our six partners in Eastern Europe, and with Armenia, in particular, we signed three groundbreaking agreements.

We signed a new partnership agreement that we hope can make the lives of our citizens much easier both in Armenia and the European Union.

“For instance, if you are a young Armenian engineer, it will be much easier for you to work inside the European Union and vice versa. Armenian universities will now have access to the European Union’s programs for research and innovation that is the biggest international research program in the world. We also signed new agreements to improve connections between the European Union and Armenia both by plane and on the road.”

In her remarks addressed to the young participants of the forum in Yerevan Mogherini stressed that the EU dreams of “a European continent where borders are not an obstacle, but a gateway for young people like you.”

EU willing to expand cooperation with Armenia – Mogherini

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A senior European Union official on Tuesday reiterated their willingness to expand and deepen the cooperation with Armenia on range of joint projects.
At a press conference held jointly with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Brussels, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,  also expressed the EU’s support to the continuing reforms in the country.

“The European Union is willing to expand and deepen cooperation with Armenia. We are already the first trading partner for the country, the first international donor and the strongest supporter of reforms. We are ready to continue supporting Armenia’s reform process across a range of issues, including economic development, the business environment, the judiciary, human rights, the fight against corruption – issues that are very concrete and relevant for the citizens of Armenia,” she said, summing up the 17th session of the EU-Armenia Cooperation Council.

“We have discussed today our shared values, including our commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, which underpin the new agreement and our future cooperation. We were discussing how far we have come in the recent years and months. We launched negotiations in December 2015, the two of us here in Brussels, and we come now with good results that are the result of the hard, good work of our respective teams, who I would like also to thank for the good work we have managed to do.”

Mogherini said they are now looking forward to Armenia’s active and constructive stance in the preparation of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit (set to be held in Brussels in November).

She also addressed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, highlighting the unacceptability of the status quo.

“The European Union believes the status quo is unsustainable and that the conflict needs an early political settlement in accordance with international law. The European Union continues to fully support the mediation efforts and proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.”

In the context of regional issues, Mogherini emphasized particularly the discussions over the situation in Syria, and the Armenia-Turkey relations.

“The EU has also reiterated its commitment to support the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey and our encouragement to both sides to engage in this process without preconditions,” she added.