Yerevan /Mediamax/. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated that "we are at a historic moment in the EU-Armenia relations - they have never been stronger than today.”
Borrell’s speech was read out by Commissioner for International Partnership, Jutta Urpilainen.
“Back in October, in this Plenary, Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan delivered a very clear message: Armenia is ready to move closer to the European Union. In response, the European Council tasked the High Representative and the Commission to explore ways to strengthen EU-Armenia relations “in all their dimensions”. Over the past months we have been working to deliver on this.
The road ahead may at times be challenging. Armenia’s past decisions, which have resulted in political, economic and security dependencies, cannot be overcome overnight. But the clear political will on both sides will allow us to advance in deepening and broadening our partnership,” Borrell stated.
He noted that a solid framework for deepening relations already exists: EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, in addition, together with Armenia, the preparation of an ambitious new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda has been launched.
Josep Borrell noted that “security is an increasingly important element of our bilateral relations.”
“We are scaling up our dialogue on foreign and security policy, also looking into Armenia’s participation in EU-led missions and operations,” he stated.
“The European Union also continues to support Karabakh Armenians. We provided €12.2 million to address urgent humanitarian needs, and we have set aside an additional €5.5 million,” Borrell noted.
“Our strong commitment to the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process remains unchanged. We stand ready to support a sustainable and lasting peace based on the principles of recognition of sovereignty, inviolability of borders and territorial integrity of both countries. We reject any use of force, or the threat to use force, and continue to support peaceful conflict resolution,” High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stated.
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