EU willing to expand cooperation with Armenia – Mogherini

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.