EU has been and remains one of Armenia's key partners, caretaker deputy PM says
The European Union has been and remains one of Armenia's key partners in the implementation of its reforms agenda, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told a joint news conference with EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi in Yerevan on Friday, summing up the outcomes of their talks.
"During the visit, we exchanged views on the current agenda of active cooperation and partnership between Armenia and the EU, as well as a wide range of issues concerning the further development of relations," he said.
Grigoryan noted they touched upon the major challenges that emerged in 2020 as a result of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh on September 27, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
"Armenia is grateful to the EU for the humanitarian assistance provided for both the fight against coronavirus and for our compatriots who suffered from the war unleashed against Artsakh," Mher Grigoryan said, adding that they discussed with the EU commissioner the full-scale military aggression against Artsakh and further steps to alleviate the post-war situation.
He underlined that Armenia is committed to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.
Grigoryan said they highlighted the urgency of the immediate return of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian captives from Azerbaijan under the international humanitarian law and without preconditions, as envisaged by the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020.
"Despite the challenges facing Armenia, our country is consistently pursuing the path of democratic reforms, in the implementation of which the EU has been and remains one of Armenia's key partners," Grigoryan said, referring to the completion of the ratification process of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive Extended Partnership Agreement (CECPA) and its entry into force.
The caretaker deputy prime minister also said that the framework of the Armenia-EU bilateral programs for 2021-2027 had been summed up.
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