Armenia and EU preliminary signed agreement on comprehensive and expanded partnership
ArmInfo.Armenia and EU preliminary signed agreement on comprehensive and expanded partnership.
As the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told ArmInfo,
the main negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan, as well
as the trade negotiator, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and
Investments of Armenia Garegin Melqonyan, preliminary signed
(initialed) the agreement. From the EU side, the main negotiator,
Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia and the OSCE
of the European External Action Service Luc Devin, as well as the
trade negotiator, the head of the European Commission's Directorate
General for External Trade Petros Surmelis.
Before the signing, the meeting of the Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian and Luc Devin and Petros Surmelis took place.
Nalbandian greeted the European Deputies' visit in Yerevan and noted
that the document will open a new page in the Armenian- EU relations.
The head of the foreign Ministry of Armenia stressed that the
agreement will be signed during this year and added that it will
express the deep level and the volume of the Armenian-EU relations.
To note, on February 27, in Brussels, Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan and the EU President Donald Tusk announced the completion of
negotiations on Armenia-EU new framework agreement. The sides noted
that the document is most likely to be signed during 2017.
To note, on October 12, in Luxembourg, the Council authorized the
European Commission and the High Representative to open negotiations
on a new, legally binding and overarching agreement with Armenia, and
adopted the corresponding negotiating mandate. This agreement will
replace the current EU-Armenia partnership and cooperation agreement.
The EU is committed to further developing and strengthening
comprehensive cooperation with Armenia in all areas of mutual
interest within the Eastern Partnership framework. On December 7, at
the EU Headquarters in Brussels, Edward Nalbandian, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Federica Mogherini, High
Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy, announced the launch of negotiations on the new
Armenia-European Union framework agreement. The first round of the
talks took place in Jan 2016. In late 2016, Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian expressed hope that the talks on the new framework
agreement will be over in the near future.