Friday, October 6 2023 12:25

ArmInfo. On October 5 at the European Political Community Summit in Granada, President von der  Leyen outlined further measures of emergency and long-term support to Armenia.

President von der Leyen said: "The EU stands by Armenia. We are  doubling our humanitarian support to alleviate the plight of the  100,000 displaced Karabakh Armenians. And we are channelling more  budget support towards the Armenian State. The EU remains fully  committed to supporting the negotiations with Azerbaijan and  facilitating the dialogue."

The President made the following announcements:

Humanitarian assistance: the Commission will more than double its  humanitarian aid, with a further ?5.25 million in emergency  assistance added to the previously announced ?5.2 million. European  Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic will travel to  Armenia tomorrow to assess the situation and discuss further targeted  support, notably through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

EU4Peace programme: the EU4Peace programme willl be topped up with  additional $800,000 to support emergency assistance,  confidence-building measures, and media outlets known for their  balanced reporting.

Annual programmes: the Commission will mobilise funding under annual  programmes for Armenia in order to allocate $15 million, which can be  used as budget support to the state to address socio-economic needs  and purchases of food and fuel.

Technical assistance: the Commission will discuss with the Armenian  authorities the urgent provision of technical assistance, including  through the TAIEX and Twinning programmes, to address issues like air  safety and nuclear safety

Economic and Investment Plan (EIP): the Commission is working on  further support to Armenia, including on infrastructure, via the  Economic and Investment Plan, which can deliver up to $2.6 billion of  investments. The EIP is already delivering more than $413 million,  which includes extensive assistance to the Syunik region in social  protection and sustainable energy solutions.

Regional projects: the Commission will support Armenia's  participation in regional projects, in particular in the Black Sea  electricity cable project with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and  Romania