Armenia’s associate membership to EU will not affect Yerevan’s foreign policy priorities and fully conforms with complementary multi-vector policy course of the country, RA Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told NEWS.am.

According to him, associate membership to EU will not upset Armenia-Russia military-strategic partnership, as well as the country’s membership to other international organization like CSTO and CIS.

As NEWS.am reported previously, the Committee of EU Foreign Ministers announced the opening of negotiation process with South Caucasian countries on their associate membership to EU.

Earlier, a high-ranking European diplomat informed NEWS.am, that the talks with South Caucasian countries will start in 2010, as EU is interested in the associate membership of three countries simultaneously. According to him, the negotiations will be held accounting for the political, economic, legal and social characteristics of each country. Democratization issues will be in limelight, as in this regard all South Caucasian countries face problems, the diplomat outlined. He also noted that associate membership to EU de-facto does not differ from a regular one.

L.A.