December 8, the first meeting of the Foreign Ministers within the framework of Eastern Partnership program was held in Brussels. The ministerial meeting was first since the program was launched. NEWS.am posts the full text of Presidency’s conclusions from the meeting available on the Swedish Presidency website.

“1. On 8 December the first Foreign Ministers’ meeting within the framework of the Eastern Partnership was held in Brussels.

2. The meeting drew high level participation from the 27 EU Member States, the European Commission, the General Secretariat of the EU Council, the six Eastern European Partner countries (hereinafter the Partner countries), the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank, the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee. The meeting was chaired by the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt, currently holding the EU Presidency. The European Commission was represented by the Commissioner for Trade and Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner. Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian of Armenia, Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan, Sergey Martynov of Belarus, Grigol Vashadze of Georgia, Iurie Leanca of the Republic of Moldova and Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine represented the Partner countries.

3. The Ministers discussed the state of play of the Partnership on the basis of a report from European Commission. They took note of the substantive implementation achieved so far, and welcomed the steps taken in the bilateral relations between the Partner countries and the EU, as well as the establishment of the multilateral dimension of the Partnership. The Ministers welcomed the launch of Flagship Initiatives on Integrated Border Management and Regional Electricity Markets, Improved Energy Efficiency and Increased use of Renewable Resources, as well the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership. The meeting formally endorsed the Work Programmes of the four thematic platforms within the multilateral dimension of the Partnership.

4. During the Ministerial meeting, four representatives of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, presented to the ministers the conclusions and recommendations of the Civil Society Forum, which met for the first time in Brussels on 16-17 November. The ministers welcomed the active engagement of civil society in the development and implementation of the Partnership.

5. The ministers recalled the Eastern Partnership Declaration, adopted at the Summit on 7 May in Prague, and reconfirmed their commitment hereto. In particular, they recalled that the Partnership is based on commitments to the principles of international law and to fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to market economy, sustainable development and good governance. They also underlined the importance of the principles of inclusiveness, differentiation and conditionality, as well as joint ownership.

6. The participants underlined the strategic importance of the Eastern Partnership as a way to deepen and strengthen relations between the EU and the Partner countries, to accelerate political association, further economic integration and approximation towards the European Union and to support political and socio-economic reforms of the Partner countries.

7. During the discussion on the priorities for the coming period of implementation, Ministers highlighted the need to make further progress in line with the priorities of the Partnership, inter alia negotiations on Association Agreements, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas, where appropriate, mobility of citizens, availability of funding from EIB, EBRD and international financial institutions to the Eastern Partnership, the Comprehensive Institution-Building Programmes, energy cooperation, adoption of EU standards by Partner countries and other areas.

8. The ministers agreed to hold the next Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers Meeting during the Belgian Presidency of the EU, during the second half of 2010. They endorsed the proposal to hold the next Eastern Partnership Summit under the Hungarian Presidency of the EU, during the first half 2011.

9. The participants agreed to continue the implementation of the Eastern Partnership during 2010 with sustained priority.”

A.G.