Brussels, 28/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 27 September, Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle and Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sarkissian signed two agreements for the sum of €43 million to help strengthen Armenian institutions and support the negotiations and implementation of the future bilateral agreements - the association agreement with the deep and comprehensive free-trade area, and the agreement on the facilitation of visas and readmission.
The first agreement, for €19.1 million, will be for institutional reform in view of the agreements with the EU. The second, for €24 million, will help the government implement the European neighbourhood policy action plan and the future association agreement, with reforms linked to the management of public finance and transparency, and the performance of the public sector and the continued alignment of trade regulations. These agreements will also enable Armenia's sustainable development programme to be supported, focusing on several sectors such as customs, food security and e-governance.
Yerevan doing well in negotiations. Füle spoke of much progress in Armenia. He said that everywhere he looked they were making progress - on visa facilitation and readmission, and in other domains like the negotiations for an association agreement, including the deep and comprehensive free-trade area. He added that this agreement was of prime importance in helping their relationship progress to a higher level, and he gave the example of opening the acquis communautaire linked to the single market, and changes in consumer protection. According to Armenpress, Füle apparently said that the signature of the association and visas agreements “could be possible in the near future”.
Füle also recalled the importance of human rights and reforms in democracy, calling for the OSCE recommendations to be implemented before the presidential elections in 2013.
According to Armenpress, Füle and Sarkissian also discussed the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the Azerbaijani president's pardoning of Ramil Safarov who was sentenced for the murder of an Armenian, and Baku's militarist policy. (CG/transl.fl)