Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen continued their discussions in expanded formats, the Armenian premier himself informed on social media.

In his remarks addressing von der Leyen, Pashinyan noted as follows: “In the last two months, this is your second visit to the Republic of Armenia, which means that the statements we have jointly adopted in recent years are not just words, but also concrete actions that we are implementing together.

In May, the first European Union-Armenia summit was held in Yerevan, and I think it is very impressive how we are implementing the political agreements we have reached. Of course, the known circumstances also contribute to the fact that some processes in our relations proceed more quickly. But on the other hand, what we are implementing is an expression of our strategic perceptions, which we have recorded during our, let me say, numerous meetings and discussions in the previous period.

I would also like to thank [you] for the support you have shown during this period, because we have communicated in various formats in recent months, including a telephone conversation, during which you made a number of statements regarding support for Armenia, which are being implemented or have been implemented in practice today. Of course, this is very impressive, and it also increases the level of trust in the Armenia-EU cooperation and partnership among the public.

I greet you once again and welcome you.”

In her turn, Ursula von der Leyen noted as follows: “Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, hello dear Nikol. It is good to be back in Yerevan again, this is the second time in less than two months, and this proves the strength of our partnership and personal friendship.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the [June 7 parliamentary] election results, I want to congratulate the Armenian people who have chosen democracy, peace, and rapprochement with Europe. This is a big step and a vote of confidence for which I am grateful.

I am aware of the fact that not everyone likes our rapprochement. So, we are well aware that Russia is trying to put pressure on Armenia not to get too close to the European Union. We will not allow this, we know it, and we will support you in this. Therefore, I am also here today to state unequivocally that if Russia closes its market to Armenia’s products, the European Union will open the door to Armenian products in the EU's 450 million consumer market. We want to support our friends, we want to support the peace process that is underway, for which I want to express my appreciation to you.

We [i.e. the EU] also want to invest in connectivity projects that connect the EU, the South Caucasus and Central Asia, and Armenia plays a vital role here due to its geographical location.

We have now provided 200 million euros, which we can leverage up to two billion. These are important for connectivity in this region. So, thank you very much for our partnership and friendship for stability, I look forward to our meeting today.”

As reported earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Armenia this morning, and she was welcomed by Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan at Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport. And Nikol Pashinyan hosted Ursula von der Leyen at the Armenian government.