Within the framework of his visit to the Belgian capital city of Brussels, the Minister of Economy of Armenia, Karen Chshmarityan, met with European Commission member Johannes Hahn , who is also the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.

They signed a memorandum of understanding on the European Union (EU) assistance to be provided to Armenia. Accordingly, from 2014 to 2017, the EU will allocate Armenia around 140-170 million euros for private sector development, state governance, and justice reforms in the country. 

In addition, the Support for Agriculture and Rural Development agreement was signed, pursuant to which the EU will allocate around 25 million euros of assistance for agricultural development in Armenia.   

During the talk, it was stressed yet again that the Government of Armenia has announced about its “open skies” policy, and therefore it stands ready to commence talks with the EU with respect to the signing of an agreement on Common Aviation Area.  

The minister also underscored the need for the EU to grant a Market Economy Status to Armenia.

On Monday, Karen Chshmarityan also met with Daniel Calleja y Crespo, the Director-General of the Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General of the European Commission.  

The interlocutors specifically discussed the avenues for Armenia’s joining COSME, the EU program for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.