On July 19, the starting meeting of negotiations on the Association Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union was held in Yerevan.
The launch of negotiations was preceded by the meeting of Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian with the EU negotiating delegation headed by Gunnar Wiegand, the Director for Eastern Europe, Southern Caucuses and Central Asia of the Directorate -General for External Relations of the European Commission.
Edward Nalbandian opened negotiations, mentioning in his speech. “Our will to deepen cooperation with the EU within wider agenda was expressed during the visit of President Sargsyan to Brussels in May.”
“As ancient is the European continent, so old are the ties of Armenia and the Armenian nation with Europe. They go back to the depth of centuries to the times when the enlightened sons of our nation had their participation in the formation of value system, which today are called the European values.
Since the independence of Armenia, the European direction has been one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy. We attach great importance to the deepening of relations with the European Union. Within this context the Eastern Partnership creates a new perspective for the establishment of qualitatively new legal relations with the EU, particularly through the Association Agreement, the launch of which we undertake today,” the Armenian Foreign Minister said.
Minister Nalbandian also mentioned that the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union in the areas of foreign policy, political dialogue, justice, freedoms and security, economic and energy interaction and in many other areas has registered a significant progress. In his words, “The Eastern Partnership” programme, the activity of the EU Advisory Group in Armenia, the establishment of dialogue with the EU on Human rights have underlined the determination of the both sides to raise the cooperation on a qualitatively new level.
The Minister mentioned that the Armenian-European Union Subcommittee on Justice, Freedoms and Security issues successfully completed its first meeting on July 6 in Yerevan. “We expect that constructive discussions in that format will path a way for the signing of visa facilitation agreement with the EU as soon as possible. We also attach importance to the negotiations on deep and comprehensive free trade zone as one of the components of the Association Agreement,” Edward Nalbandian stressed.
The Head of the European Union negotiating team Gunnar Wiegand presented the welcoming address of Catherine Ashton, the Vice President of the European Commission and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on the launch of negotiations.
The main document that regulates Armenia’s cooperation with the European Union – the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation, entered into force on July 1999 for a ten-year validity period. According to the corresponding provision of the Agreement, after completion of the validity period it independently prolongs for one year. The Association Agreement will replace the currently acting Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation.
The directions of cooperation on the issues of economic integration, free migration and energy will be included in it. The Agreement will also have elements of cooperation in the area of the EU common foreign and security policy. The negotiations over the Association Agreement will be held in three thematic groups, which will negotiate on the issues of political dialogue, foreign and security policy, justice, freedoms, as well as cooperation in the areas of economy, finance, culture, energy and other areas.
The involvement of all interested Ministries and Departments of the Republic of Armenia to the negotiation process is foreseen.
For the organization of negotiation process by the Republic of Armenia the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed the Decree on “Negotiations on the Association Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union” on July 15, 2010, according to which the coordinator of negotiations from the Armenian side is Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and the main negotiator is Deputy Foreign Minister Karine Kazinian.
The Head of working group on justice, freedoms and security issues is Deputy Minister of Justice Nikolay Arustamyan, the Head of working group on cooperation in economic and financial areas is Deputy Minister of Finance Mushegh Tumasyan.
The starting meeting was followed by the joint press conference of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Karine Kazinian and Gunnar Wiegand.