Agenda of Armenia-EU relations broad - Artak Zeynalyan 

ArmInfo. The Republic of Armenia, setting itself the goals of developing democratic  institutions, improving the welfare of citizens, strengthening state  security, the country's resilience and the rule of law, declares the  beginning of the process of joining the European Union. This was  stated on March 24 at a meeting of the RA National Assembly Committee  on European Integration by Artak Zeynalyan, a representative of the  "Eurokve" civil initiative, presenting the draft law in the second  reading.

Zeynalyan emphasized that following active discussions with the  government and members of the National Assembly, some amendments have  been made to the draft law. Thus, the provision "on the unanimous  will of the people" has been removed from the preliminary version of  the document. In principle, the Cabinet proposed to abandon the  preface altogether, but ultimately agreed with the above wording.

In turn, RA Deputy Foreign Minister Paruy Hovhannisyan noted that  given the inclusion of the government's proposals in the bill, the  document can be considered acceptable.

Answering the question of the National Assembly member from the  opposition faction "Armenia" Armen Gevorgyan about whether there is  an official position of the EU on the submitted draft law, the Deputy  Minister noted that the EU is becoming an important partner of the  country, including in the sphere of defense and security. In  particular, two meetings have already been held dedicated to the  dialogue in this direction. Hovhannisyan noted that the agenda of  bilateral relations is very broad, and today we are talking about  their strengthening, and not about new systems.

The Eurokve civil initiative had previously organized a signature  drive to present a draft law on the initiation of the process of  Armenia's membership in the European Union. The participants of the  initiative collected 60,000 signatures instead of the required  50,000, after which the draft law was submitted to the government for  discussion in accordance with the procedure established by law, and  after its approval, it was submitted to the National Assembly for  discussion.

"In the current geopolitical situation, the adoption of the law will  increase Armenia's resilience," the draft law stated. Its authors are  confident that the document will make the processes of developing  democracy, citizen participation in public administration, and the  rule of law irreversible in the country. The adoption of the document  will also contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in  the region, the restoration of the balance of power, and the  expansion of national security capabilities.

Armenia's accession to the EU will also facilitate access of Armenian  entrepreneurs to innovative technologies, an increase in investment  programs, the growth of logistics ties, and the possibility of  exporting Armenian products to Europe. Recall that on January 9, the  RA government approved the draft law "On the initiation of the  process of the Republic of Armenia's accession to the European  Union."

The document received a positive conclusion from the commission, and  now it will be considered at the plenary session of parliament, which  starts on March 25.