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Relations between Armenia and the European Union have embarked on a rather intense phase, Acting Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazarian said at the joint session of the parliament’s standing committees on European integration and budgetary affairs on Tuesday.

He stressed that the Armenian parliament’s ratification of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in April marked a breakthrough in the bilateral relations.

“Almost 80 percent of the document has entered into provisional application on 1 June. But for the document to fully take effect it is necessary to complete the relevant interstate procedures,” he said.

The official said that eight EU member states, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Poland, Luxemburg, Denmark and Romania have ratified the deal, while a number of other countries are expected to complete the ratification in the near future.

Nazarian expressed conviction that the agreement will enable Armenia to launch a more effective cooperation with the EU member states, including in the trade and economic sphere.

“GSP+ envisages zero tariffs for 6500 products. First of all, we need to inform the private sector about this opportunity and encourage access to this system, which can further boost Armenia-EU relations,” he added.

The EU and Armenia signed the CEPA on the sidelines of the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017.