Friday, April 5 2024 15:22

ArmInfo.Brussels is ready to provide Armenia with an additional EUR 270 million in grants over the  next 4 years for economic development, in particular supporting small and medium-sized businesses, as well as infrastructure development. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated at a joint  briefing with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

The full text of President von der Leyen's statement on the Armenia's  Resilience and Growth Plan, published on the official EU websites,  reads in part:

"Prime Minister Pashinyan, Dear Secretary Blinken, I am very glad to  host this meeting together with the HR/VP Josep Borrell here in the  Berlaymont in support of Armenia. We are delivering on a promise we  made last October: The promise to stand shoulder to shoulder with  Armenia, and at the same time, the promise to set a vision for the  future of our partnership. This is what we are going to be discussing  today.

This vision will be underpinned on the European Union side by a  Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia, EUR 270 million in grants  over the next 4 years. We will invest in making the Armenian economy  and society more robust and resistant to shocks. We will support your  businesses, your talents, in particular your small and medium  enterprises, so that we can help them to grow, to innovate and to  access new markets. And we will invest in key infrastructure  projects.  For example in the Black Sea electricity cable that is a  new transmission route full of opportunities. It can notably bring  clean, renewable energy into Europe. We are ready to support it. In  parallel, we will continue investing in Armenia's renewable energy  production and in better interconnections with Georgia. We will also  be exploring cross-border transport, if and when conditions allow. In  this context, I welcome your Crossroads of Peace initiative Prime  Minister. Finally, we come today with new measures for aviation and  nuclear safety, and for trade diversification.

This support package we are presenting today builds on the success of  an existing Economic and Investment Plan from the European Union for  Armenia. It has already mobilised over half a billion in investments.  I think this is great news. And now we can do even more with a fresh  investment perspective. This is why we have recently launched an  Investment Coordination Platform. So that we can jointly identify new  projects, accelerate the pace and maximise the potential of our  investments on the ground. Of course, the European Union will  continue to support reforms in Armenia through advice, technical  support and funding.

In this context, Prime Minister, I want to congratulate you for your  efforts to carry out democratic reforms. And this, despite the  challenges faced.  I also welcome the measures that Armenia has taken  against the circumvention of our sanctions against Russia. In  particular, to make sure that lethal equipment and technologies do  not end up in the hands of the Russian military. This shows that the  European Union and Armenia are increasingly aligned in values and  interests. Now, we are going to look today at the broader  partnership. And let us take it forward with a new and ambitious  Partnership Agenda between the European Union and Armenia. This is  what we will be discussing in more detail in a moment.

We are not forgetting, Prime Minister, about the plight of the  displaced Karabakh Armenians. The humanitarian situation of refugees  in Armenia remains a priority. We have provided over EUR 30 million  in support for the refugees since last September. We are ready to do  more to support the long-term integration of refugees.

To conclude, I want to say how happy I am to receive both of you here  in the Berlaymont. Because Europe and Armenia share a long and common  history. The time has come to write now a new chapter. And I am very  glad, Secretary Blinken, to count on the United States as a committed  and like-minded partner in these efforts. We will continue to work  all together for the future of Armenia, in a stable and prosperous  South Caucasus region."