Armenia and EU set to deepen cooperation, says Ambassador Maragos

YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA/. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell’s latest statement that Armenia-EU relations were at a historic stage shows the strong will of both sides, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos said in an interview with Armenian Public Television.

He said this is the position of all EU member countries, its structures, and all stakeholders – businesses and civil society and also the position of the Armenian government and Armenian people.

Noting that joint work on the development of cooperation is currently underway, Ambassador Maragos recalled that last October the European Parliament asked the EU institutions to develop options for strengthening and deepening cooperation with Armenia.

"Two weeks ago in Brussels, we started a joint process to develop a new partnership agenda. Our cooperation is strong, but there are areas in which the partnership can be improved to respond to the aspirations of the Armenian people, including improving the quality of life and expanding contacts," he said.

According to the diplomat, one of the areas where work is already underway and there is hope for concrete results in the near future is the security sphere.

"This is an area where we did not have extensive cooperation before, but now the EU observation mission will strengthen its monitoring and patrolling of Armenia’s state border," he said.

Asked whether this is not aimed at reducing Armenia's dependence on Russia and pushing it out of the region, Maragos said Armenian authorities have asked for diversification and increased security and economic opportunities.

Recalling the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Armenia and the EU, he said all partners will benefit from this cooperation platform.

"We are in the process of support and dialog with the authorities to promote diversification and are confident that this will contribute to Armenia's sovereignty, independence, as well as to the expansion of institutional capacities to overcome the various challenges it is facing," he said.

Asked what opportunities he sees for economic diversification, given in particular that the lion's share of exports from Armenia go to Russia, the ambassador said that ultimately it will depend on the economic actors in Armenia, the decisions of the Armenian authorities and how they see the future of trade relations.

"We are helping to develop trade between Armenia and the EU. From 2021 to 2023, we have seen that trade turnover between Armenia and the EU has almost doubled," he said.

He believes that trade relations, especially in the sphere of business, should be based on new unified quality standards. In this regard, the Ambassador recalled the EU's assistance to private business and the EU Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) launched in 2021, which mobilized over 550 million euros in investments, most of which were directed to the private sector.

He also noted that the EU is working closely with Armenian banks to provide more liquidity, including to empower small businesses.

According to the National Statistical Committee of Armenia, Armenia's trade turnover with the EU countries in 2023 amounted to $2.7 billion with a 17.1% growth.

Exports to EU countries last year decreased by 8.2% year-on-year to $709.5 million, while imports from EU countries increased by 27.1% to $2.2 billion. -0-