I am honored to address this important forum today. I am also impressed by the preparations. I would like to thank my colleagues at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. This is a very important initiative and an important process. Ambassador Vasilis Maragos, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vasilis Maragos, said this today, October 12, during his speech at the forum “Crossroads of the World: Uniting Security and Democracy”.

“And I would like to emphasize right away that in the partnership council, which Minister Mirzoyan also attended, welcomed this initiative, which aims at establishing peace and normal relations, opening transportation routes in the region while preserving the principles of national identity and also ensuring reciprocity, which is the basis of the Crossroads of Peace,” Maragos noted.

He recalled that a year ago he attended the presentation of this project presented by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“We welcomed it, and we, together with all our colleagues in Armenia, are actively working in this direction also with our colleagues in the region to implement this initiative,” the ambassador stressed.

According to him, another process has been underway between Armenia and the EU since last October.

“You remember the Prime Minister's speech about a year ago in the European Parliament. We also received a specific assignment from the Council of Europe to develop relations between Armenia and the EU in different directions. And after that, the EU and Armenia have been working tirelessly, working on the realization of new relations. And I should note with pride that these joint efforts are yielding results. Why? Because there is a joint political commitment, and there is a concrete focus on both sides, as well as a joint commitment to our common values: human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” Maragos said.

According to him, the EU has supported and continues to support Armenia in a number of areas: economic, judicial and legal, interconnectedness of reforms, independence and regional ties.

“And peace is part of that. We are now negotiating a partnership program and we are quite advanced....  And we will unlock the full potential of Armenia-European Union relations, which we have also harmonized within the framework of our SEPA agreement. This includes justice, governance, human rights and the main directions in which we are working and trying to strengthen not only the Armenian institutions, but also trying to ensure the democratic sustainability of the country in the long term,” the Ambassador informed.

Vasilis Maragos recalled that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the Sustainability and Growth Program in a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on April 5.

“Armenia is expecting 270 million in support in just four months, and we hope that this will play a critical role in terms of developing Armenia's resilience and bringing it closer to Europe, especially providing connectivity, entrepreneurial development, and economic diversification and development in the region and in the global marketplace.

And it is important that we realize the concept of peace and prosperity in the whole region. It is a concept not aimed at anyone, but consistent and in line with our policies in the region,” he emphasized.

According to Maragos, the EU is also engaged in the fate of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We have invested more than 100 million euros in one year, and as part of our budgetary support it was decided to add 30 million to the government's budget to share the burden on the government's shoulders,” said the head of the EU mission to Armenia.