Wednesday, 29 June 2016
PM Receives Armenia-Accredited EU Ambassadors
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received the delegation of Armenia-accredited EU Ambassadors, led by Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski.
Noting that the development and promotion of cooperation with the European Union has been and remains one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy, the Prime Minister highlighted the role played by the European Union and its member States in the establishment and strengthening of democratic institutions and civil society in Armenia.
Reminding that the negotiations on a new comprehensive EU-Armenia legal instrument were launched in Brussels last December, and that the third round of the talks was held in Yerevan on May 12, 2016, with a fourth meeting held in Brussels a few days ago, Hovik Abrahamyan stressed in part, “We hope the two sides can bring this important process to a successful completion in the foreseeable future. We are determined to continue with the ongoing large-scale reforms in Armenia. As I have repeatedly stated, the cooperation with the EU has gone a long way toward strengthening Armenia’s economy, furthering reforms in the judiciary and public management, building a democratic society, promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms in our country.”
The Prime Minister said our country keen to implement the EU-Armenia visa facilitation and readmission agreement and expressed the hope that it might lead to the launch of a dialogue on visa liberalization with Armenia. Coming to the fight against corruption, the Premier reassured of his government’s firm determination to continue with the steps aimed at increasing efficiency in the fight against corruption.
With reference to the meeting of the Anticorruption Council, which was attended by Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, Hovik Abrahamyan reminded that a number of important issues had been discussed by the Council, including the formation of anticorruption bodies, the use of international experience, as well as the need to address the legislative gaps available in the procedure prescribed for the declaration of high-ranking officials’ income, public procurements, local self-government-implemented auctions and so on. The Prime Minister emphasized that he had issued appropriate instructions to the heads of competent authorities on the matters discussed.
On behalf of the Ambassadors in attendance, Piotr Świtalski thanked the Prime Minister for the reception, highly appreciating the ongoing effective cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Armenia. The Head of EU Delegation noted that despite the existing challenges, EU-Armenia relations are showing positive dynamics and stressed that he was impressed by the pace of EU-Armenia talks on the new framework agreement. He expressed confidence that once signed, the agreement would help expand and deepen bilateral cooperation.
Piotr Świtalski highlighted the importance of boosting the trade turnover between our country and other European countries, attracting new investment. He hailed the Government’s drive to improve the business environment, combat monopolies, and strengthen the independence of the judiciary, and assured of the European Union’s readiness to continue backing the Government in this regard.
As he spoke about the fight against corruption, Piotr Świtalski said to have shared with the EU Ambassadors the favorable impression he had of the Prime Minister-chaired meeting of the Anticorruption Council, noting that it was reassuring that the Government, civil society and the private sector were set to cooperate within the Council.
The meeting next discussed issues related to EU-Armenia relations. Reference was made to the talks on the common aviation area and the ongoing reforms, including the improvement of the business environment, the development of economic competitiveness and others.
The Prime Minister pointed out that economic competitiveness and enhanced productivity are crucial in terms of providing stable foundations for economic growth. According to him, the adoption of the new Tax Code is meant to improve tax administration, increase revenue, as well as ensure stability and predictability for businesses.
Hovik Abrahamyan stressed that the improvement of the conditions of competition in the economy is also on the agenda for the development and implementation of active anti-monopoly policy, which is the key to Armenia’s overall development. Stressing the need to achieve greater transparency and lower corruption risks in the process of public procurement, the Premier advised that work is underway to further improve transparency in various stages of the process.
Dwelling on EU-Eurasian Economic Union relations, Hovik Abrahamyan noted that in its capacity of a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenia is eager to see the furtherance of cooperation between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union and is prepared to facilitate the dialogue.
Speaking about the electoral process, the Prime Minister reminded that a political consensus has been reached on the Electoral Code. Armenian authorities were said keen to best organize and conduct the upcoming elections and looking forward to being assisted by the European Union ahead of parliamentary elections in 2017. He noted that the use of new technological approaches will help build public confidence in the elections. Other issues of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting.
