EU is not forcing Armenia to sever ties with Russia in favor of more  from Europe - Peter Stano 

ArmInfo.The issue of the Artsakh Armenians' right to secure and dignified life in their homeland remains on the EU agenda. 

In a conversation with Radio Liberty, EU External Relations  Representative Peter Stano asked to clarify whether Brussels is  closed on the issue of giving Artsakh people a safe and dignified  life in their homeland, taking into account the fact that the  European side no longer mentions this in its statements , in  particular, said: "Undoubtedly, this issue is still on the agenda. We  know very well what impact this has on the Armenian people, on the  Armenian society, how important it is not only for the Armenian  people, but also for Azerbaijan. Because these people are from  Azerbaijan - from Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh has always been  Azerbaijan de jure for us. We said: look, there is a problem, there  is an issue left over from a very difficult past, let's solve it as a  civilized society at the negotiating table. Unfortunately, This  proved impossible due to Azerbaijan's unilateral actions, which is  why the European Union quickly provided additional assistance to  people fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh. And we are determined to continue to  help Armenia solve this problem. This is one of the issues on our  agenda, and it is not closed because it concerns a large number of  people, more than one hundred thousand."

When asked how the EU sees the solution to this issue in cooperation  with Armenia or in demanding Azerbaijan to guarantee their rights,  Stano noted that Brussels is working with all interested parties,  because one of the main demands that the European Union conveyed to  Azerbaijan was to guarantee the rights of these people to return and  live in safety.

"And we continue to appeal to our Azerbaijani partners to provide  guarantees and to tell these people very frankly and clearly that  they can return without any threat and without any concern, that  their property must be respected, and cultural and religious symbols  and property must be respected. This issue is not closed, and we  raise it every time we have the opportunity, both with Armenia and  Azerbaijan," Stano said.

When asked whether the EU considered replacing Russian border guards  as part of a plan to strengthen Armenia's security, the European  official recalled that in November last year, when foreign ministers  discussed issues of further cooperation with Armenia, they pointed to  three areas of possible interaction.

According to him, these are the European Peace Fund, strengthening  the sustainability of the economy and society of Armenia and  liberalization of the visa regime.

"These are the areas that the EU has identified as priorities in the  current realities. We have also identified other areas on which we  want to focus our expanded cooperation: communications, energy,  issues related to strengthening the economy. So, of course, there are  many proposals, but ultimately "In the end, we are talking about the  demand presented by Armenia and the proposal presented by the  European Union in response, and if they coincide, then an agreement  can be reached," the official said.

At the same time, when asked to clarify whether leaving the  integration associations led by Russia implies the homework that  Armenia must do in relations with the EU, Stano assured that this  rather implies the continuation of the reform agenda.

"We are talking about bringing Armenia closer to the EU politically  and economically. And this includes, of course, working on reforms:  strengthening and reforming democratic institutions, of course, the  necessary economic reforms, ensuring the rule of law, fighting  corruption. And in this matter, Armenia has done a great job This has  been appreciated and continues to be assessed, but, of course, there  are problems that still need to be solved.

Regarding your relations with Russia, the EU is not a player that can  say: if you want to work with us, you will have to give up all other  partners. We are for inclusive cooperation. If you believe that some  kind of cooperation with Russia is important, useful or beneficial  for your interests, you can have it, provided that it does not  contradict EU policies, for example, our sanctions policy.   Therefore, if you develop closer ties with the EU, this does not mean  that you need to sever ties with any other partner. Whether you want  to have Russian soldiers, the Russian FSB or any other Russian law  enforcement agency on your soil is your sovereign decision. We're not  saying that if you want more from us, you should get rid of the  Russians. That's not how the EU works," Mr Stano said.