Vutova: Signing of the framework agreement Armenia-EU will open new opportunities for cooperation between Yerevan and Brussels
ArmInfo.Head of the Yerevan office of the Council of Europe Natalia Vutova is convinced that signing the agreement on a comprehensive and expanded partnership Armenia-EU will open new opportunities for continuing cooperation between Yerevan and Brussels.
"The signing of the framework agreement will open new opportunities for the continuation of Armenia-EU cooperation so that the European Union is also involved in the reforms being implemented in the country. Our reforms are aimed at assisting Armenia in fulfilling its commitments to the EU and other organizations, "Vutova said in an interview with journalists.
Let us note that the document consists of 357 pages and 386 chapters and regulates the general principles, approaches and values of political and economic cooperation between Armenia and the EU. As for the economic component of the document, it says that Armenia should bring its economic policy in line with EU standards. In turn, the EU undertakes to assist in ensuring the independence of the Central Bank of Armenia, the stability of prices in the country's market, and its financial reliability. In the political part of the document, the emphasis is on simplifying the visa regime and starting a dialogue on its liberalization with a view to stimulating mutual visits of RA and EU citizens. The agreement also contains provisions onthe Karabakh conflict.
The document stresses the importance of Armenia's readiness to settle the Karabakh conflict peacefully and the need for its early resolution within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. The document also talks about Armenia's obligation to close the nuclear power plant and build a new one. Note that it was originally announced that the document was signed in November at the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, but now many experts predict that the signing will not take place in the announced terms. Initially, the parties also did not announce the promulgation of the document until its final signing, but by mutual consent it was decided to familiarize the Armenian and EU societies with it before signing.