ArmInfo. As of today, 550 million euros have been allocated from the total amount of financial assistance to Armenia from the European Union for a total amount of 2.6 billion euros, Chairman of the RA National Assembly Commission on European Integration Arman Yegoyan stated on April 4, during parliamentary hearings on the topic "New prospects and challenges for European integration of Armenia."
He noted that the funds provided to Armenia both in the form of grants and loans were allocated by the EU in 2021 as part of the investment and economic program. Most of the financial resources are directed to small and medium-sized businesses under the terms of preferential lending, which became the reason for the rapid use of the funds provided. Another part of the funds concerns capital expenditures, which is the reason for some delays in their implementation. The largest component of the program concerns the construction of the fourth section of the North-South transport corridor, in particular, the section of the Sisian-Agarak highway, which is very difficult from a relief point of view. In this case, we are talking about the direction of about 1 billion euros.
Egoyan noted that the EU has also increased its geopolitical presence in the region. After 2022, when Azerbaijan attacked the sovereign territory of Armenia, a decision was quickly made to send a temporary EU civilian observation mission to the republic for a period of 2 months, and from January 2023, this mission deployed its posts on a permanent basis. "It is difficult to underestimate the role of this mission in the context of ensuring the security of the Armenian state," Yegoyan said, adding that the EU has 13 civilian missions in various countries around the world. The mission in Armenia is the second in terms of the number of participants. Last December, the EU decided to expand the mission in Armenia, increasing it from 138 people to 209.
The deputy also recalled Yerevan's appeal to the EU with the intention of using the European Peace Instrument. This issue is currently at the negotiation stage. The success of these negotiations will make it possible to attract resources to strengthen the stability, stability and security of the Armenian state. In addition, as Yegoyan noted, the Armenia-EU Partnership Council recently decided to begin work on a new agenda for bilateral relations, while establishing priority issues of cooperation in all areas. In this case we are talking about a political document that is under development. It is expected that work on the new document will be completed in May-June of this year.
Egoyan could not help but mention the role of the European Parliament in the adoption of pro-Armenian resolutions. This EU structure, as the deputy noted, is a flagship in the development and strengthening of ties with Armenia, directing efforts in promoting this position to other EU institutions. The speaker recalled only the last two reports of the European Parliament, which related to political security and foreign policy.