Friday, 8 September 2017
Karen Karapetyan, Piotr Świtalski Discuss Issues of EU-Armenia Cooperation
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski. Issues related to Armenia’s cooperation with the European Union, new EU-Armenia agreement were discussed at the meeting.
To begin with, the Prime Minister noticed that traditional meetings like this give an opportunity to exchange ideas on bilateral cooperation agenda, speak openly and sincerely about various programs and activities.
“I want to reaffirm that in the face of its different structures, the European Union has always been and remains one of the most important partners on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
Touching upon the current stage of the partnership, Ambassador Świtalski noted that they are preparing for a very serious event - the signing of a new EU-Armenia agreement - which will usher in a new era of cooperation. In this connection, he assured that everything will be done to achieve a new quality in all spheres of cooperation. According to the Ambassador, the Common Assistance Framework is very promising and will include new elements of cooperation.
“We greatly support your reform agenda. With the help of external experts, we have thoroughly analyzed your reform program. It is an ambitious program; now we are thinking about how to harmonize our efforts with your reform agenda. We wish to invest money where you think the reforms will be effective,” he said.
In turn, the Prime Minister of Armenia noticed that the European Union’s cooperative stance and assistance programs add momentum to his government’s reforms. “It is gratifying that your experts have analyzed my government’s action plan and agreed that we are on the right path. I want to assure you that we know how to change the country as we are well aware of our problems and shortcomings,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
The parties noted that the work on the EU-Armenia Agreement and the Common Assistance Framework is proceeding normally and their views and approaches coincide. Both sides stressed the need for making the best possible choice of EU programs, ensuring transparency and stricter targeting in the implementation of all programs.
The interlocutors touched upon issues related to the agreement to be signed in the field of aviation, exchanged views on political development in the European Union.
