YEREVAN. – With the new agreement to be signed with the European Union, Armenia will take an important step in deepening its relations with the EU, including with Sweden, Charge d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Sweden in Yerevan Mr. Martin Fredriksson told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The new agreement will provide for opportunities for cooperation in a multitude of fields, said the Swedish diplomat.
It were the foreign ministers of Sweden and Poland who presented the idea of Eastern Partnership program back in 2008. The Eastern Partnership summit is set for November 24 and is of special importance for Armenia, as the country will sign a new agreement with the European Union.
“Since the launch of the Eastern Partnership in 2009 we’ve seen the partnership itself and the relations between the EU and its six Eastern neighbours develop and mature. The Brussels Summit will underline the importance that we attach to the continuation of the EaP, and remind ourselves of the many achievements so far,” Mr. Fredriksson said.
“Ultimately, the EaP is about people, and improving peoples’ daily lives, and the EU remains committed to supporting the development of modern, sustainable and prosperous countries in the region, through strengthening democratic and transparent institutions and the Rule of Law, connecting countries and people and facilitating trade and economic development. The EaP’s purpose - to support partner countries’ political association and economic integration with the EU - will in the longer perspective bring benefits in terms of prosperity and security to people across the European continent.”
As to the benefits for the development of relations between Armenia and Sweden in the context of signing a new deal, the diplomat is confident that it will be easier for Armenian and Swedish authorities and organisations to learn from each other’s experiences, and for Armenian businesses to take part in the European internal market.
“The signature is important – but it’s of course when we implement the agreement that we will see its benefits,” he added.
The Eastern Partnership summit comes amid many problems the European Union is facing at the moment. Some doubt that Eastern Partnership program has future amid the existing problems, such as Brexit.
Mr. Fredriksson stresses importance of this program since it is easier to overcome the challenges by building partnership between the countries.
“The basic thinking behind both European Union and the Eastern Partnership is that so many of the challenges that we face in today’s globalized world are impossible to for us to address as individual countries. We need partnerships in order to learn from each other’s experiences and find joint solutions to those challenges. As for Sweden, we’ve become successful much thanks to our cooperation with our neighbours, both with our fellow EU member states and also with our others neighbours. I think a lot more can be done within the Eastern partnership to encourage partner countries to learn also from each other.”
