Monday, May 15 2023 18:36

ArmInfo. The reputation  of the European Union has significantly improved in Armenia after the EU decided to send an observation mission to Armenia. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with the Czech "Respekt" magazine. 

He stressed that the perception of the European Union by the citizens  of Armenia has changed dramatically, but this has nothing to do with  what is happening in Ukraine. After the European observers were sent  to Armenia, people realized that the Union cares about their safety.  "In an emotional and political sense, this improved the reputation of  the EU, although it was never perceived negatively," Pashinyan said.  In this regard, he stressed that the EU is Armenia's main partner in  the implementation of democratic reforms.

"If you were to ask citizens what are the biggest visible changes in  Armenia, they would probably mention the creation of the patrol  police. We are doing this in cooperation with the EU, and this year  we are expecting the arrival of a new batch of "Skoda" cars in  Armenia, so we have a very broad agenda in relations with the EU," he  said.

Pashinyan recalled that after the 2021 elections, President of the  European Council Charles Michel visited Armenia and promised 2.6  billion euros of support under the Eastern Partnership program. "We  would like that process to go a little faster," the Prime Minister  said.

Pashinyan also touched upon the topic of European sanctions against  Russia, noting that due to the developments taking place in Ukraine  and problems with logistics, many goods that were previously  delivered directly to Russia are now purchased through Armenia,  Kazakhstan and other countries.  According to him, it is not only  about changing routes, most European carriers refuse to cooperate  directly with the Russian market. "Thus, new logistics routes were  created, including through Armenia. But within the framework of the  sanctions, we try to be as transparent as possible and work with the  EU, the US, and even with Russia itself. We are members of the EAEU  and have very close economic ties with Russia.  Where there are  market niches, we are happy to meet Russian demand. But sanctions are  our red line. And we say this very clearly to the Russians: "We don't  want to hurt you, but we cannot afford to be punished," Pashinyan  said, noting that there is no secret that exports to Russia from  Armenia are growing, including for the re-export of European goods.