YEREVAN. – An Armenian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, on Monday participated in the 16th meeting of Armenia-European Union (EU) Cooperation Council, which was convened in Brussels.

Press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that at the meeting which Nalbandian chaired, the discussants conferred on the steps to be taken to further develop Armenia-EU cooperation.

In his opening remarks at the event, the Armenian FM specifically said as follows:

“2015 was a special year for the Armenia-EU cooperation. We witnessed high level visits, an intense and constructive dialogue with an impressive number of bilateral meetings, simultaneous negotiations on Armenia-EU agreements in various areas.

“We expressed our appreciation to the EU for its continued support and assistance provided to our country over the years which have been instrumental for the effective implementation and sustainability of the reform process and institutional capacity building in Armenia.

“Last month’s launch of the negotiations on a new legal framework of Armenia-EU relations was a new threshold in our relations. We hope that the new agreement will reflect the depth and essence of our bilateral relations and set new guidelines for mutually beneficial cooperation.

“We attach great importance to people to people contacts, and view enhanced mobility of our citizens as an important prerequisite for bringing our societies closer. It is almost two years now that the EU-Armenia Visa Facilitation and Readmission agreements are being implemented. We believe that time has come to move forward towards the Dialogue on Visa liberalization.

“During recent months alongside the deliberations on the legal basis of our relations, the Armenian side has been actively engaged in negotiations with the relevant bodies of the European Commission regarding our participation in a number of EU programs.”