On December 11, upon the invitation of the EU side, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan participated in the meeting with the EU Foreign Affairs Council. The discussion was attended by Josep Borrell, the Vice-President of the European Commission, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Oliver Varhelyi, the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, and Foreign Ministers of the EU member states.

Ahead of the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan gave comments to the media:

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very glad to be here today to participate in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.

This is an honor for me and also a very good opportunity to introduce what today’s Armenia is, what challenges we have, but also what opportunities and aspirations we have. This is a very good opportunity to share Armenia’s perception on deepening our relations with the European Union, speaking about what has been done so far between the EU and Armenia, but also what else can be done.

Of course, this is a good opportunity also to express our appreciation for the assistance and support of the European Union in our democratic reforms, but also meeting the urgent needs of the refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, the support that the European Union has shown to the peace process in South Caucasus and normalization of our relations with Azerbaijan, and also, as I said, to discuss the further plans.

Thank you very much”․

At the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Armenia thoroughly briefed the counterparts on the current programs and the steps aimed at further expanding and deepening the Armenia-EU partnership, as well as the vision of the Republic of Armenia on establishing lasting stability and peace in the region.

In particular, Minister Mirzoyan presented the process and achievements of democratic reforms in Armenia, highlighting EU’s continued support to their implementation and close cooperation with EU member states in targeted directions.

A number of key issues of the Armenia-EU political and security dialogue, including the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia were touched upon. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia expressed to the Foreign Ministers of the EU member states the gratitude of the Armenian side for the support of the activities of the mission and direct participation in the mission.

Among the perspectives of deepening the Armenia-EU partnership, in the context of people-to-people contacts and bringing Armenia closer to the EU, Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the importance of the final decision on launching the Armenia-EU Visa Liberalization dialogue and answered the questions of the member states.

Ararat Mirzoyan also touched upon the Armenia-EU ambitious agenda in economic and other fields, the Economic and Investment Plan and its priority flagship projects, the issues of EU member states' involvement in them, as well as the need for ensuring the inclusiveness of regional initiatives. Among other things, the potential and importance of Armenia joining the Black Sea electric cable project was emphasized, taking into account the joint statement of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the European Commission in October.

Continuing the topics of regional importance, Foreign Minister of Armenia briefed on the efforts of the Republic of Armenia aimed at establishing peace in the region, the normalization process of relations with Azerbaijan and the main approaches to the draft peace treaty, in line with the well known principles.

As part of the regional peace agenda, Ararat Mirzoyan touched upon the "Crossroads of Peace" program developed by the government of the Republic of Armenia, its individual components, emphasizing its importance not only for the South Caucasus but also in the wider region, in the context of expanding the stable network of infrastructures connecting the East to the West.

During the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan exchanged views with Foreign Ministers of the EU member states on other topics of mutual interest.