Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on Tuesday participated in the high-level conference on the 10th anniversary of the EU Eastern Partnership (EaP) program, in Brussels.

Also, Mnatsakanyan was a speaker at a panel discussion along the lines of this event.

In his remarks at this discussion, the Armenian FM noted, in particular, that the past ten years have been an important and interesting path for all six EaP partners, and at the same time stressed that this anniversary is a good opportunity to outline the next phases of their partnership. 

Mnatsakanyan emphasized that the Armenian people attach great importance to the united ability of building a peaceful and prosperous future, but at the same time, each and every country builds its own security on the basis of its own interests, and the policy of this distinction lies in the basis of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.

“We know that we have in our hands this tool that enables us to build our relations, to build and develop our country,” he added, above all. “[And] Eastern Partnership is an excellent platform for turning bilateral relations into a multilateral format.”

“We have unresolved conflicts,” the Armenian FM also said. “Working together and cooperating, regional cooperation, learning from one another, and working together are also steps towards peace.

“An observation was made about democratic Armenia, as to whether it wants to manifest political will. [But] in fact, this is a two-way ‘road.’ We also expect that the political will be such that we will move forward.”

The FM highlighted that there cannot be a negotiation in which solely one party’s wishes are taken into account.

At the same time, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan stressed the climate in which that political will can be expressed.