Kos: EU strengthening ties with Central Asia through South Caucasus

ArmInfo.The EU is strengthening ties with Central Asia through the South Caucasus, as stated by European Commissioner Marta Kos before the meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg, according to media reports.

According to her, the European Union intends to intensify cooperation  with Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey within the framework of a new  strategy for the Black Sea and the development of transport and  energy links. In this context, she stated that one of the key  elements of the new strategy is the connectivity agenda, aimed at  strengthening ties between Europe and Central Asia. "Today, we see  how important and correct the adoption of the European Commission's  new Black Sea strategy was, one of whose components is the  connectivity agenda. Through it, we are developing cooperation with  Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey to better connect Europe with Central  Asia," Kos noted.

The official added that the EU sees how vulnerable it is today, with  trade routes in the north disrupted by Russia and in the south by the  war in Iran.

Kos added that during the meeting, the ministers will discuss further  steps to strengthen cooperation with the states of the South Caucasus  region. "Today, we will discuss how best to interact with the  countries of the South Caucasus - Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey,  where we already have specific projects that can be implemented," she  emphasized.

It should be added that, according to media reports, today the EU  Foreign Affairs Council approved the deployment of a new EU civilian  mission to Armenia to combat so-called cyber threats. The mission,  which will begin its work in the coming months and will have a  two-year mandate, will be called the European Union Partnership  Mission to the Republic of Armenia (EUPM Armenia). It is noted that  the mission will strengthen Armenia's resilience to hybrid threats by  providing strategic and practical advice and support to ministries  and security agencies.