Yerevan, 21 June, ARMENPRESS: Since the independence of Armenia, the European direction has been one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy. The negotiations over the Association Agreement between Armenia and the EU started on 19 July of 2010 in Yerevan. Armenpress talked about the negotiations, as well as Armenia-EU cooperation in the frames of the Eastern Partnership Initiative with the RA Deputy Foreign Minister, Chief Negotiator Karine Kazinian.

Question. Madam Kazinian, in what stage are the negotiations over the Association Agreement? How you can assess the most significant results achieved during the negotiations?

K. Kazinian. The negotiations over the Association Agreement are conducted in two formats -plenary sessions and videoconferences. The plenary sessions are held once in two month, successively in Brussels and Yerevan. By our and our European partners’ assessments there is a considerable progress in the negotiations between Armenia and the EU.

In the economic, sectoral and financial cooperation areas 18 Chapters of future Agreement were negotiated and temporarily closed. On July 19 it will one year after the launching of Armenia-EU Association Agreement. Up to now five plenary sessions and a number of videoconferences took place. 18 Chapters on sectoral cooperation of a future Agreement were temporarily closed, including cooperation in the fields of science and technology, audiovisual and mass media, culture and education, training and youth, environment, financial services, tourism and so on.

On May 23 of this year, the fifth plenary session of the negotiations between Armenia and European Union over the Association Agreement took place in Yerevan. The "Preamble, objectives and basic principles” of future agreement, Chapters on "Political dialogue and reforms, cooperation in the fields of foreign policy and security" and "Justice, freedom and security” were on the agenda of the negotiations.

In the course of the session, the works of the economic, sectoral and financial cooperation group were summed up. The next plenary session is scheduled to be held in the mid-July of 2011 in Brussels.

Question. In your opinion, when is the Association Agreement to be signed?

K. Kazinian. At this moment, we can not clearly define deadlines. The Association Agreement is a comprehensive one and defines the guidelines of qualitatively new and long-term cooperation for Armenia-EU relations for the upcoming decades.

Under the Agreement it is also planned to create Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which supposes to eliminate the tariffs and quantitative restrictions on goods and non-tariff barriers that have been agreed on in the frames of bilateral trade between Armenia and the European Union. The creation of Area lays out the improvement of Armenia's domestic regulatory framework and the reforms for the harmonizing of the organization of the sides’ external trade. The negotiations with the EU over the provisions on the creation of the DCFTA have not started yet. They will start after Armenia carries out a number of activities directed at sectoral reforms. Armenian government is undertaking relevant steps towards that direction.

Question. Will the cooperation be continued with the EU in the frames of European Neighborhood Policy after the start of the Eastern Partnership?

K. Kazinian. The Eastern Partnership was developed and started in the frames of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). It is viewed as an eastern direction a neighborhood policy. Quite recently, on May 25, the European Commission stated about a new proposal to revise the European Neighborhood Policy that outlines the main priorities and directions of the ENP. The Basic approach would be “many financial allocations for many reforms slogan. From the approach of distinguishing, the EU would develop the relations with each partner country in accordance with their claims and achieved progress. By the new proposal, the two directions are clearly outlined in the frames of the ENP – the Eastern Partnership and Mediterranean Union.

Question. Was it productive cooperation in the frames of the ENP, if yes, then why there was need to initiate the Eastern Partnership?

K. Kazinian. The Armenia-EU Action Plan was officially approved in 2006 for 5 years. By the order of the President of the Republic of Armenia, the list of the events for 2009-2011 that should maintain the implementation of the Armenia-EU Action Plan was approved in 2009.

The annual reports published by the European Commission are another proof of the effectiveness of the cooperation in the frameworks of the ENP.
The foundation of the Eastern Partnership was laid in May 2009 by the declaration adopted in the Prague Summit which are defined its objectives. The necessity to launch a new initiative occurred from the necessity to establish distinguishing cooperation with the countries involved in the EN based on these aspirations.

Question. Do you think the Armenian authorities are undertaking satisfactory steps for the scheduled domestic regulatory framework in the frames of Eastern Partnership? In this context what are the more actual directions of the reforms at this stage?

K. Kazinian. The Armenian authorities have been constantly pursuing the implementation of internal reforms, and the cooperation with the EU, particularly in the frames of the Eastern Partnership, provide additional opportunities to make the process more effective.

On May 25, 2011, the European Commission issued a report on the implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy by Armenia. According to it, Armenia has made progress in various fields of the implementation of the ENP, including the sphere of political dialogue and reforms. A good progress was registered in the direction of decriminalization of defamation and the strengthening of the capacity of the Office of Human Rights. The progress was registered in the expansion of judiciary reforms and freedom of speech.