This European Parliament is committed to further deepening of ties with Armenia; this is a commitment that they have across all political groups, and it also helps the delegation’s work. Nils Usakovs, Co-Chair of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee, stated this at the 4th Meeting of this Committee taking place today in Yerevan. 

The issues that dominated the discussion were mainly the conflict with Azerbaijan, which remains a key issue, and they will also address it. But bilateral European-Armenia cooperation in various domains is also developing very rapidly. It is finally time to be able to focus even more on this positive bilateral agenda. This is a very symbolic moment. The Armenian parliament has passed a law declaring the start of the process of Armenia’s accession to the EU, and this is evidence that the EU is appealing to the Armenian society, said Usakovs.

The EU and Armenia have never had such close relations, and these relations are based on solid foundations, on shared commitments: democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. They believe in the right of peoples and countries to choose their own future, noted Usakovs.

The European Parliament has already clearly stated that it supports the development and deepening of relations with Armenia, but everything depends also on Armenia, on what kind of relations it seeks to have, stated Usakovs.

It is obvious that any application for EU membership will be submitted and considered in accordance with the requirements, the priorities, and the criteria. It is very important that this message is delivered to the people of Armenia so that the people understand and know what to expect, what challenges to expect, and that there will be no unrealistic expectations. It is also very important to express this positive strategic vision of the future, Usakovs said.