Brussels, 07/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said on Tuesday 6 March that the EU was ready to begin negotiations on a deep and comprehensive free-trade area with Armenia that is part and parcel of the association agreement already under negotiation. “There is good progress being made in the bilateral EU-Armenia relationship. The association agreement negotiations continue to progress at good pace” added European Council President Herman Van Rompuy after his meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, noting too that negotiations had been launched on 27 February on visa facilitation and readmission agreements, “as a first step towards visa liberalisation”. Sargsyan highlighted their cooperation on border management, human rights, economic development and energy security. “We share the 'more for more' principle”, he said, pointing out that the EU was his country's main partner.
Progress on Nagorno Karabagh. The European leaders also highlighted “the urgent need to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “The EU wants to see progress on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which remains a high priority of the EU's foreign policy”, Van Rompuy said. He called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to step up their efforts to reach agreement. Sargsyan welcomed the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council of 28 February indicating that it was ready to step up its efforts on Nagorno Karabagh. “Nagorno Karabagh is part of Europe and the people are European, sharing the same system of values. Direct contact between people is needed”, he said.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz welcomed the measures taken by the Armenian government to ensure that the general election in May and the presidential election in 2013 are “transparent and fair”. (CG/transl.rt)