Armenian FM, EU Delegation head discussed Armenia-EU comprehensive partnership agenda

YEREVAN, December 8. /ARKA/. On December 8, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

It said a set of issues of the Armenia-EU comprehensive partnership agenda were discussed during the meeting.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia and EU Ambassador assessed the overall results of the recent visits to Yerevan and Brussels, discussions in various formats, commending the active dialogue in political and security fields, as well as in sectoral directions. They outlined further steps towards deepening the partnership.

The upcoming Armenia-EU events were touched upon. Views were exchanged on the process of democratic reforms in Armenia and EU’s continued support to their implementation. In the context of people-to-people contacts, the importance of launching the Armenia-EU Visa Liberalization dialogue was emphasized.

During the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan and Vassilis Maragos also touched upon the latest developments in the normalization process of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the joint statement made the day before by the office of the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, the implementation of steps aimed at creating an environment of trust.

Late on Thursday Azerbaijan and Armenia said in a joint statement they have agreed to a prisoner exchange, and to work towards normalizing ties and a peace deal. According to the Armenian government, Azerbaijan will release 32 prisoners of war to Armenia in exchange for two.

Armenia and Azerbaijan reaffirmed also their commitment to normalize relations and conclude a peace treaty based on respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.-0-