On Wednesday 18 May, the European Union called on Yerevan during the 4th Partnership Council between the EU and Armenia to pursue its reform agenda.
Ahead of the Council and as 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the EU and Armenia, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, summed up by saying, “this is the moment to continue working on reforms and to fully develop this Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA)”, which entered into force a year ago.
“The EU welcomed Armenia’s commitment to CEPA implementation, appreciated positively the reforms undertaken and encouraged the government to pursue its reform agenda to the benefit of Armenian citizens, which the EU fully supports.”, emphasised the joint statement issued after the Partnership Council.
The Council also took note of Armenia’s willingness to engage in a dialogue on visa liberalisation with the EU. The country benefits from visa facilitation.
Furthermore, the Partnership Council called on Yerevan to fully exploit the significant potential for bilateral trade flow benefits offered by CEPA.
Although the subject was not mentioned in the joint statement, both Josep Borrell and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan did not fail to address the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh upon their arrival at the Council. With talks underway between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Josep Borrell called for a peace agreement between the parties. He said that if an agreement were reached, the EU would provide all possible assistance to support its implementation.
Read the joint statement here: https://aeur.eu/f/1pk (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)