Friday, January 27 2023 22:42

ArmInfo. The main purpose of my visit to Armenia is to start a dialogue between Yerevan and Brussels on political and security issues. Enrique Mora, Deputy  Secretary General of the European External Action Service, stated  this in an interview with PTA.

At the same time, he stated that the EU is holding such a dialogue  with Armenia for the first time. "This is another indicator of how  much we are interested in developing bilateral relations," the  European official said.

Asked to assess the current state of relations between Armenia and  the European Union and the implementation of the Comprehensive and  Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Mora expressed his conviction  that Yerevan and Brussels have never had such good relations.

"We have never been as close as we are now. As mentioned, years ago  we signed this agreement, which covered a wide range of sectors. Now  we have decided to deploy a civilian mission in Armenia. We are  concerned about the current situation, we want to cooperate and help  the Armenian people,"  he emphasized.

Asked to open the brackets and explain what "dialogue on politics and  security" means and what its priorities will be, Mora noted that such  a dialogue is actually a means to better understand each other.   According to him, the EU really considers Armenia as a partner in the  South Caucasus.

"It is important for us to know what you think here, how you see the  outside world, what are the foreign policy priorities. And for Armenia, it is important to understand our foreign policy goals, which also  include an important element of security, within which the exchange of  experience will take place. That is why we decided to deployment of a  civilian mission to build trust and obtain information," he said.

To clarify whether this dialogue will in any way relate to the  Azerbaijani occupation of the sovereign territories of the Republic  of Armenia, Mora assured that the positions of Armenia and the EU are  consonant in the issue of achieving peace.

"We both want peace in the South Caucasus. This is the main goal,"  the official said, recalling the important meeting between the  leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, held in Prague with the mediation  of the head of the European Council.

At the same time, he expressed regret that since the end of last year  there were no more meetings. "At the same time, we have a paralyzed  situation in the Lachin corridor. We are well aware of its  humanitarian consequences. We are really trying to somehow help the  Armenians who are in the blockade," the European official said.

At the same time, he expressed his conviction that the EU can provide  assistance to Armenia in the issue of delimitation of the border with  Azerbaijan. According to him, this is their main goal. He believes  that despite the complexity, it is necessary to move towards peace in  the South Caucasus.

When asked to express the EU's position on the blockade of the Lachin  Corridor, Mora assured that the EU has been following the situation  from the first day, there were many contacts between EU  representatives and the Azerbaijani side. "We believe that the  blockade should be ended as soon as possible, as it is connected with  the lives of thousands of people. We are working in this direction.  At the same time, this is the result of agreements that took place  years before the war. As you can see, the Russian peacekeeping  contingent is at least ineffective. And we are really interested in  negotiating with Azerbaijan to end the blockade, because people are  suffering because of the current situation," the official said.

When asked to tell about the composition of the EU civil mission, he  once again recalled that its goal is "to monitor and inform about the  situation on the ground, ensure the safety of people, and ultimately  achieve our main goal - peace through the mediation of the European  Union." He noted that the EU expects that the mission of 100  specialists will be effective.