ArmInfo.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashchinyan confirmed the commitment of the authorities of the country to strengthen democracy and ensure the rule of law, as well as the fight against corruption. On July 10 the head of the Armenian government stated this after the meeting with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk.
According to the Armenian Prime Minister, he is very pleased with the visit of the head of the European Council. "In a relatively short period of time, it was repeatedly the opportunity to meet with the EU President. All our meetings were impressive and they were held in an atmosphere of friendship and constructivism," Pashinyan said.
The Prime Minister also called today's meeting "very productive." The parties discussed a wide range of issues relating to the relations between Armenia and the EU. An exchange of views took place on the internal political life of the republic and sectoral directions, as well as regional processes.
The Prime Minister noted that he confirmed the commitment of the authorities of the country to strengthen democracy and ensure the rule of law, as well as the fight against corruption. During the meeting, the head of the Armenian government briefed the EU president on the efforts of the authorities of the republic in the matter of creating an independent judicial system, stressing the importance of assisting European structures and the EU in this regard.
Nikol Pashinyan noted the political commitment of the RA authorities in the issue of expanding relations with the EU countries. In this context, he stressed the need for early ratification of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enlarged Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the EU Member States. "This agreement is a tool that not only contributes to the development of relations between Armenia and the EU, but also the implementation of the reform agenda in Armenia," he explained. As Pashinyan pointed out, the Armenian authorities, in cooperation with the relevant EU bodies, developed a roadmap for the implementation of CEPA, which was approved by him on June 1.
In addition, as noted by the prime minister, the parties touched upon the issue of starting a dialogue on liberalizing the visa regime. Nikol Pashinyan noted Armenia's interest in this issue, including in terms of expanding interpersonal relations. The Armenian Prime Minister asked Donald Tusk to convey to the EU countries a request to complete the ratification process as soon as possible. The interlocutors also touched upon the Eastern Partnership program.
Armenian Prime Minister and EU President also touched upon regional processes. The Prime Minister thanked the EU for its balanced position on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and unconditional support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Pashinyan expressed confidence in the sequence of the EU's position on this issue. In conclusion, Pashinyan thanked the head of the European Council for effective cooperation and wished him success in his future activities.
The Comprehensive and Extended Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU (CEPA) was signed in Brussels on November 24, 2017. The agreement has already been ratified by the Armenian parliament, as well as by Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Romania, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Malta.