YEREVAN.- President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said progress is felt in Armenia-EU relations.

He pointed out historic ties of Armenia and EU and common culture. Van Rompuy said it is his third meeting with the Armenian President preceded by those in Warsaw and Brussels.

He spoke about deepening or relations underscoring active talks on the Association Agreement, free trade area and already launched negotiations on facilitation of visa regime.

Armenia is on the right track and it is necessary to continue strengthening of democratic institutions, respect for human rights and freedom of speech. However, Van Rompuy noted there is still a lot of work to do and EU is ready to provide assistance based on “more for more” principle.

EU welcomes the efforts of the Armenian authorities made to deliver more competitive and transparent parliamentary elections. The OSCE/ODIHR observation report said some issues remain to be addressed and the EU believes it will be done before the upcoming presidential elections.

Photo by Sona Barseghyan