Mher Grigoryan: EU is one of Armenia`s key partners in implementing  ambitious reforms

ArmInfo.The EU is one of Armenia's key partners in the implementation of ambitious reforms.  Acting Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher  Grigoryan announced on July 9 in Yerevan during a briefing with  European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver  Varhelyi.

Opening the briefing, the Armenian official said that the previous  evening he had a fruitful meeting with Varhelyi, and already today  effective negotiations between the European Commissioner and acting  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan were held..

Grigoryan informed that within the framework of the visit, an  exchange of views took place on the current substantive active agenda  of cooperation between Armenia and the European Union and its further  development.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the talks also touched upon  the difficult challenges of 2020, in particular, the large-scale  military aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh, as well as the  coronavirus pandemic.  "I would like to say that Armenia is grateful  to the EU for its assistance both in the fight against the pandemic  and the humanitarian aid provided to our compatriots who have  suffered as a result of large-scale military aggression. 

The grave humanitarian consequences of large-scale military  aggression and the steps we are taking to mitigate their consequences  in the post-conflict period were also presented, "Grigoryan said.  

In this vein, he once again stressed Armenia's commitment to an  exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,  within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship. 

"As a priority, they indicated the importance of the immediate return  of prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan - without  preconditions, in accordance with international humanitarian law and  on the basis of obligations within the framework of the trilateral  statement of November 9, 2020," the Armenian official said.  

At the same time, Grigoryan stressed that despite the challenges  facing Armenia, the country consistently continues the path of  democratic reforms. 

"The EU is one of Armenia's key partners in the implementation of  ambitious reforms. In this regard, I would also like to touch upon  the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement  (CEPA), which has been ratified by all countries and is at the stage  of full implementation. Which is very important,"  said the acting  Deputy Prime Minister.

He also drew attention to the fact that a complete roadmap for the  implementation of CEPA has been approved, consisting of almost 300  events covering all sectors of life.

Stressing Armenia's commitment to ensure democracy, the rule of law,  and human rights, Grigoryan expressed his conviction that the  effective implementation of the agreement will play an important role  in the continuation of reforms.

"We also touched upon cooperation between Armenia and the EU within  the framework of the Eastern Partnership program. The program is  entering a new 5-year stage and a number of events are planned," he  said, in this context expressing gratitude to the EU for providing  1.6 billion euros of assistance for implementation various projects.   According to the acting Deputy Prime Minister, the EU appreciates the  progress registered by Armenia on the path of implementation of  reforms.

"A striking example of this is that Armenia is the country that has  received the largest amount of assistance in the South Caucasus. The  assistance will cover five key areas: assistance to small and  medium-sized businesses, the implementation of the North-South  project, assistance to the socio-economic development of the southern  regions of Armenia, stimulating the digital agenda and innovation,  and developing Yerevan as a green and smart city.

We also consider it important to note that in addition to the planned  cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, we are  also completing the framework of our annual programs for 2021-2027,  where we focus on measures for socio-economic recovery and increasing  the resilience of the RA economy, sustainable development, etc.",  Grigoryan noted.

In conclusion, he informed that during the discussions with the  European Commissioner, the importance of contacts between people was  emphasized, in this context the importance of starting a dialogue  between Armenia and the EU on the liberalization of the visa regime  was emphasized.