The head of the European Union's foreign policy service, Josep Borel, spoke about Armenia-EU relations at yesterday's European Parliament session.
Radar Armenia presents the speech in full.
"We are at a historic stage of EU-Armenia relations. They have never been more vital than they are today. This was confirmed two weeks ago at the fifth EU-Armenia Partnership Council. In October, Prime Minister Pashinyan sent an unmistakable message at this plenary session: Armenia is ready to approach the European Union. In response, the European Council tasked the High Representative and the Commission to study ways to strengthen EU-Armenia relations in all dimensions. We have been working in that direction for the past few months.
The road ahead can be challenging at times. Armenia's previous decisions, which led to political, economic, and security dependence, cannot be overcome daily. But the clear political will of both sides will allow us to move forward by deepening and expanding our partnership. We already have a solid foundation and framework and an EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. Together with Armenia, we have started the preparation of a new, ambitious agenda for the EU-Armenia partnership.
Dear members,
We have proposed that this new partnership agenda, based on our shared values, consists of three blocks:
First, we will work to strengthen Armenia's resilience and diversify its economy through increased cooperation in trade, energy, communications, and aviation security.
We are discussing options for starting a visa liberalization dialogue for enhanced people-to-people contacts. Armenia has expressed its great interest in this issue, and we have encouraged the country's leadership to intensify work on the relevant reforms. The start of the visa liberalization dialogue will send a vital political impulse to Armenian citizens and provide leverage for further reforms.
Second, security is an increasingly important element of our bilateral relations. We celebrate the first anniversary of the EU mission in Armenia and look forward to its strengthening. We are discussing possible means of establishing European peace. We are expanding our foreign and security policy dialogue by exploring Armenia's participation in EU-led missions and operations.
Third, increased investment will be essential to closer economic cooperation. We are committed to supporting Armenia's participation in the Black Sea Power Cable and other regional connectivity projects. Building closer ties among countries in the region has great potential to serve as a peace dividend. The European Union also continues to support the Armenians of Karabakh. We have allocated €12.2 million to cover urgent humanitarian needs and earmarked an additional €5.5 million. We provided 15 million euros of budget support for socio-economic needs.
Our firm commitment to the process of normalizing Armenia-Azerbaijani relations remains unchanged. We are ready to support sustainable peace based on the principles of both countries' recognition of sovereignty, inviolability of borders, and territorial integrity. We reject any use or threat of force and continue supporting peaceful resolution of conflicts.
Now, our priority is to strengthen Armenia's flexibility to ensure that Armenia can independently implement its foreign policy choices. This is why we are strengthening our sectoral cooperation, further developing our cooperation in security and defense, and promoting economic investment.
Stable peace in the South Caucasus is essential. And this is why we recently strengthened the EU mission in Armenia. We also call on the parties to engage in good faith. We are ready to continue facilitating exchanges."