EU might repeatedly propose various initiatives to maintain optimal cooperation with any state, Dr. Stepan Grigoryan, Chairman of the Board of Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC) told NEWS.am concerning negotiations on EU-association bilateral agreements for Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

According to Grigoryan, initially the EU policy was presented in “European Neighborhood Action Plan”, while presently is maintained in “Eastern Partnership” and sudden statements on association are made. He deems Armenia is a corner-stone in EU regional cooperation. Due to various reasons (including corruption and imperfections of the state machine) Armenia will be unable to participate in all “Eastern Partnership” programs.

Grigoryan reckons Russia’s presence in Armenia will not affect cooperation with EU. He admits that Russia-Armenia traditional relations might weaken to some extent and current Armenia’s key economic partners are EU states. They have substituted Russia after the (Russia-Georgia) war of August 2008. He pointed out that Georgia is a transit country for Armenia.

EU Presiding Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt spoke about the EU association with South Caucasian States on September 15. The relevant agreement will actually provide for bilateral cooperation between European Union and South Caucasian states.