Tuesday, February 27 2024 17:52

ArmInfo. We hope that the EU High Representative for External Relations and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will be able to visit Armenia very soon to convey a message of Europe's commitment and readiness to expand and deepen cooperation with Armenia.

This was stated by Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy in response to a  request to anounce the specific date of Borrell's visit to Yerevan,  considering that  EU Ambassador to Armenia Vasilis Maragos announced  that Josep Borrell is planning to visit Armenia.

"The High Representative, of course, is keen and committed to  visiting all our partner countries, especially those partners who  show the interest to deepen and strengthen their cooperation with the  European Union. On the other hand, the High Representative is in  charge of EU's foreign and security policy and these policies are  facing huge challenges nowadays, which require him to be in many  places at many events almost at the same time. So, of course it  always comes down to the agenda. We are working on a possible date.  We have nothing to announce at this stage, but we hope that it will  be possible that he visits Armenia very soon, exactly to bring the  messages of European commitment and the willingness to broaden and  deepen the cooperation with Armenia, " Stano said in an interview  with Armenpress.  To the remark that, according to some experts,  European Council president Charles Michel's congratulations to Aliyev  and the EEAS's statement concerning the elections in Azerbaijan isn't  a good example of European common policy, the official said that the  "European Union has one policy, speaks with one voice. "

"What you just described are two different aspects or perspectives of  one issue. It is a habit for the European Union to congratulate the  people who are being elected or reelected to their positions, either  at the level of Prime Minister or the head of State, so it's done at  the appropriate level. So, Charles Michel, when the President of the  European Council speaks to his partners, he speaks to the President  and Prime Minister. So, the President had the feeling that he needs  to congratulate President Aliyev for being reelected, he did so. It  does not prevent us to listen to the concerns raised by the EU  observation mission on the ground, which underlined irregularities in  the election process. If you read the assessment very carefully, the  report is not questioning the legitimacy of the elections or the  election of Mr. Aliev, the mission is pointing out to all the  irregularities and problems and making recommendations for the future  so that in the future, upcoming elections are then conducted with  much better adherence to international standards.  So, these are two  phases of the same issue, but taken from different perspectives. Our  role as the diplomatic service of the European Union is to focus on  these processes, to focus on what needs to be improved. We are  discussing this with Azerbaijan. We have an ongoing dialogue, in a  few weeks' time we will have a political meeting at the highest level  within the framework of cooperation. So, we are raising these issues.  We are discussing these issues. I think the final report from the  elections, it's still not out. It was a preliminary report and the  final report is usually published after a few weeks or few months and  then we will be of course taking this conclusion very, very seriously  and we will be engaging with Azerbaijan to make sure that we expect  them to fulfill all the recommendations," he summarized.