“We are witnessing a historic milestone in the relations between Armenia and the European Union, they have never been so strong,” the Finnish Commissioner for International Partnerships of the European Union Yuta began her speech in the European Parliament with such a message. Urpilainen. According to him, this was approved two weeks ago at the 5th session of the Partnership Council of Armenia and the European Union. Urpilainen reminded that back in October 2023, at the plenary session of the European Parliament, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia is ready to get closer to the European Union.
“The decisions taken by Armenia in the past have led to political and economic difficulties and dependence in the security sphere, they cannot be overcome overnight. However, the clear political will of both sides will provide an opportunity to move forward and deepen and expand our partnership,” said Juta Urpilainen.
Strengthening vitality. According to him, a solid foundation has already been laid: it is the Comprehensive and Extended Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the European Union. And now the parties are working on an ambitious new partnership plan.
It will be based on common values and will have three directions. The first is strengthening Armenia’s vitality and involves promoting cooperation in the fields of trade, energy, communications and aviation.
The start of the dialogue on the liberalization of the visa regime will be an important impulse for the citizens of Armenia and will provide leverage for further reforms.
The third direction is investments, which will play an important role in economic cooperation. According to the assurance of the commissioner, the European Union will support the aspirations of Armenia to join the construction of the electric cable in the Black Sea and other regional projects. Building close ties has great potential for peacemaking. Yuta Urpilainen also said that the European Union continues to support the Armenians of Karabakh by providing financial resources to solve their socio-economic problems. “Our firm commitment to the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains unchanged,” he said.
