ArmInfo.The outgoing year for Armenia was a year of active processes, including in Armenia-EU relations.
According to the press service of the government, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan stated this during a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn.
"We have completed the negotiations and initialed an agreement on a comprehensive and expanded Armenia-EU partnership, which will be signed in Brussels. The Eastern Partnership, as a multilateral platform for cooperation, mutually complements our bilateral relations with the EU. Over the years, we have been able to achieve tangible successes in the sectoral areas of partnership, and we have expectations from the upcoming summit," Karapetyan said.
The Head of Government touched upon the works and projects implemented in a number of spheres within the Armenia-EU partnership, expressed satisfaction with the results and stressed the importance of continuing the partnership.
At the same time, he described constructively and efficiently the work with the head of the EU delegation to Armenia, Piotr Switalski.
Hahn noted the importance of continuing partnership with Armenia, in particular: "I believe that by signing the agreement on a comprehensive and expanded partnership we will make a big step forward, and after which we will have the opportunities provided by this document. The significance of this agreement is not limited to the framework of our bilateral relations, for the first time we sign an agreement with a state that is also a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. This model in the future can become an example for other countries."
The sides discussed a number of issues on the agenda of Armenia-EU relations, touched upon the prospects for continuing cooperation in a number of areas, including economy, SMEs, infrastructure, liberalization of the visa regime, education, culture, civil society, etc. From the point of view of developing economic cooperation, Karapetyan noted the importance of ensuring continuation preferential trade regime of the European Union GSP +.
The Armenian PM presented the priorities of the RA government program, noting that it provides for reforms in all areas and primarily aimed at changing thinking, introducing a new management culture and providing feedback to the society.
Hahn called the program of the Armenian government ambitious, and stressed that the EU is ready to discuss issues of assistance to areas of mutual interest.