Switalski: Armenia and EU are steadily advancing towards signing a  new agreement on an expanded and comprehensive partnership

ArmInfo. The EU does not see  any signals from the Armenian side, indicating a possible abandonment  of the commitments undertaken earlier by Yerevan to sign the new  framework agreement Armenia-EU. Commenting on the possibility of  Yerevan's refusal to sign the agreement under Moscow's pressure, the  head of the EU delegation in Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski,  told journalists in Yerevan on September 11.

According to the Ambassador, Armenia and the EU are steadily  advancing towards signing a new agreement on an expanded and  comprehensive partnership. As the diplomat noted, the statements of  the Armenian Foreign Minister, recently made at the summit of the  foreign ministers of the EU countries and the Eastern Partnership,  also testify to this. "Armenia and the EU are clearly and steadily  moving toward a common goal - the signing of a new agreement." At the  current stage, the EU does not see any signals indicating the  opposite, "Piotr Switalski said, adding that the document will open a  new page in Armenia- EU relations.

Recall that in October 2015, the European Union granted a mandate to  its executive body, the European Commission, to start negotiations  with Armenia on a new legal basis for relations. This framework  document is intended to replace the Association Agreement, which  Yerevan and Brussels agreed, but were not initialed two years ago. In  September 2013, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan unexpectedly  announced to many the decision of Armenia to participate in Eurasian  integration, which, in fact, meant the failure to sign the  Association Agreement. Many analysts then suggested that the reason  for the sharp change was the strong pressure from Moscow. However,  official Yerevan did not recognize this.  Yerevan and Brussels later  began to consider the possibility of negotiating a less ambitious  agreement, which would not contradict Armenia's obligations in the  framework of its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. The EU  High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica  Mogherini, after meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward  Nalbandian on December 7, 2015 in Brussels, said that the start of a  new negotiating stage would close the page of uncertainty that arose  after 2013. On February 27, 2017, the President of Armenia, Serzh  Sargsyan, after talks with the chairman of the European Council  Donald Tusk in Brussels, said: "Today I can say with satisfaction  that the parties have concluded the negotiations." The new legal  instrument - the Agreement on Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership  - reflects the real scope and depth Armenia-EU relations. " On March  21, 2017, Armenia and the EU initialed the Agreement on Comprehensive  and Enhanced Partnership.