On Monday 14 July, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, reaffirmed the growing partnership between the European Union and Armenia.
“The leaders welcomed the recent political agreement on the text of the EU-Armenia New Partnership Agenda, a key milestone in their shared commitment to deepening ties”, states their joint declaration.
They also welcome the launch of EU-Armenia consultations on security and defence. “Addressing a range of security concerns, including foreign information manipulation and interference, disinformation, and cyber threats, the EU proposed to work together with Armenia to assess its needs, identify priority areas for cooperation, and leverage available EU instruments”, the statement said.
The EU has also announced a new €1.5 million package to strengthen media independence.
Ms von der Leyen and Mr Costa welcomed Armenia’s ambitious reform programme and “noted with satisfaction” the progress made in the visa liberalisation process and Armenia’s recent law on the launch of the European integration process.
The EU also reaffirmed its commitment to support Armenia’s resilience and long-term development through “substantial” financial and technical assistance, and welcomed Yerevan’s continued efforts to promote stability in the South Caucasus, notably through the continuation of peace talks with Azerbaijan and the normalisation of relations with Turkey. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)