On Thursday 19 March, European Commissioner Marta Kos and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister, Mher Grigoryan, underlined their shared ambitions in terms of energy, digital and transport connectivity.
At a press briefing, Ms Kos explained that the EU and Armenia would continue their cooperation in line with the Armenian ‘Crossroads of Peace’ initiative, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) and the EU’s Cross-Regional Connectivity Agenda, linking Europe with Central Asia via the South Caucasus and Türkiye. She reaffirmed the EU’s support for Armenia’s integration into the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor.
Discussions also focused on the need to ensure Armenia is firmly integrated into regional transport networks, notably through the possible development of the TEN-T extension.
“At a time when wars are raging, the South Caucasus trade route is more important than ever”, stressed Ms Kos, adding that the EU was looking at ways of improving infrastructure to reduce journey times and prices between Europe and Asia. According to her, traffic has quadrupled since 2022. “The EU wants to help, and is ready to invest in connectivity to promote peace, stability and prosperity”, the Commissioner promised.
In addition to connectivity, in the run-up to the Armenian parliamentary elections, the Commissioner stressed the importance of supporting Armenia’s democratic institutions to ensure the integrity of elections and the capacity of voters to exercise their sovereignty. The Deputy Prime Minister thanked the EU for its efforts to strengthen these institutions ahead of the vote.
On Monday, the EU High Representative announced the deployment of an EU rapid response team to deal with hybrid threats (see EUROPE 13829/29). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)