The new Armenia-EU agreement is first and foremost a political document that allows us to accommodate various interests towards the vitality of the so-called policy of “both, and.”

The President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, on Tuesday noted the above-said in his address at Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.

In his address, Sargsyan said, in particular:

Yesterday with [European Council] President Tusk we announced that the negotiations on the Armenia-European Union framework agreement have basically been concluded.

The new Armenia-EU agreement is first and foremost a political document that allows us to accommodate various interests towards the vitality of the so-called policy of “both, and.” It is true that back in 1996, we signed the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement to regulate the relations between Armenia and EU. It, however, was not fully reflecting either the real scope, or depth, or the ambitions of the Armenia-EU relations. Therefore, with the new Agreement we will register the achievements and development milestones and announce that we will continue to develop our bilateral agenda in all areas.

It is important that this cooperation is based on shared values. Even at the most difficult junctions of its history Armenia has never been confronted with making a civilizational choice. Nobody is forcing upon us the implementation of democratic reforms; it is our choice. Our people view themselves as Europeans: our spiritual and cultural heritage and our lifestyle are European. It is no coincidence that today hundreds of thousands of Armenians reside in Europe, and are exemplary citizens, whose talents and hard work serve their countries. They also present an important link which connects Armenia and the European Union.

It is true that Armenia’s accession to the EAEU at the initial stage was received as a thorny issue by some of our western partners. I am glad that time made things fall into place and sorted them out.

We are ready to promote the mutually beneficial EU-EAEU relations to make them closer. Armenia is interested in the Pan-European cooperation. We are fully aware that cooperation is the best way to solve the existing issues, while confrontation and a policy of creating new dividing lines has no future.

At the same time, Armenia has historically accumulated a rich experience with Iran, and our current close economic, political and cultural contacts make Armenia a good platform for those European companies that might wish to enter Iran. Developing an exemplary regional cooperation with Iran, Armenia has good prerequisites of becoming the safest and the shortest transit route connecting the seaports of the Persian Gulf and the Black Sea. That was the reason behind the inclusion of the North-South highway, which runs from the seaports of Georgia to Yerevan and further to the border checkpoint with Iran, among the main routes of the European Union.

Friendly relations between Armenia and Georgia are an important element of the security in the South Caucasus. With Georgia, we have always able to address every issue in the atmosphere of good-neighborly relations and mutual understanding. We have never conditioned our relations with the relations with third countries.

Current cooperation between Armenia, as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, and Georgia, as an EU associated partner, proves that there are new opportunities for the mutually beneficial cooperation.

Armenia is ready to become a stable partner in the region which will encourage the process of ironing out differences existing between the major actors, developing the avenues for the economic advancement and forming efficient investment policy.

Distinguished Colleagues,

In conclusion, I would like to stress again the importance of a durable peace in the world and in our region. I strongly believe that any conflict can be solved through the joint efforts of the international community. It is symbolic that at the Yerevan Brandy factory there is a “peace cask” that is surrounded by the flags of Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan and countries of the OSCE Minsk Group. It is just a sign, one among many, of our anticipation of peace and reconciliation. We are looking forward to the day when we will herald to the world the establishment of a long-awaited peace in our region and celebrate it with our world-renowned brandy, opening new opportunities of development for all those living in the South Caucasus.