On Monday 27 February, European Council President Donald Tusk announced the conclusion of negotiations for a new comprehensive strengthened partnership agreement between the EU and Armenia. The negotiations were officially launched in December 2015 (see EUROPE 11447).
"This new agreement will broaden the scope of our relations, taking account of the new political and economic global interests that we share and the challenges that we want to address together", Tusk told press, adding that this agreement was founded on common values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law. "We are looking forward to enhanced cooperation in sectors such as energy, transport and the environment, new trade and investment opportunities and increased mobility to the benefit of our citizens", he added. Armenia's President Serge Sargsian announced that the EU and Armenia planned to launch a dialogue "in the near future" on visa liberalisation. In Sargsian's view, even before the conclusion of this new agreement, the last two years have been exceptionally active in the context of EU-Armenia cooperation. "The political dialogue has been stepped up considerably and cooperation in various areas has become broader", he said.
Discussions were held on the ongoing reforms. "We encouraged Armenia to continue its reforms on a number of issues, especially economic development, the business environment, the judicial system, human rights, the fight against corruption and measures to ensure free and fair elections", Tusk said. Sargsian thanked the EU for its "financial, technical and great moral" support since the independence of his country, which has enabled many reforms to be achieved. He added that the EU provided "important resources" for implementing arrangements in Armenia's new electoral code. The EU was also asked to send an election observation mission for Armenia's parliamentary elections to be held in April – the first since the constitutional reforms of 2015.
Tusk and Sargsian also discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. "The status quo is not sustainable. The conflict needs to be settled politically and quickly, in line with international law. There is no military solution", Tusk stated. "Although the Armenian side is ready to make mutually reasonable compromises, the question is nevertheless founded on the right of the people of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] to determine their future through the free expression of their will. There can be no other approach. The right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination is not only enshrined in fundamental international documents, it is also recognised and embodied in numerous statements from the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – the only specialised structure dealing with this conflict", Sargsian said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)