Armenian official emphasizes the importance of international donor countries for Armenia

YEREVAN, April 15. / ARKA /. Secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council, Arthur Baghdasarian, emphasized today the importance of a conference of international donors that should approve large-scale economic assistance to Armenia, this year. 

Baghdasarian who also chairs an inter-agency commission set up to coordinate Armenia’s interaction with EU, said holding the conference of donor counties this year will provide Armenia with additional financial and technical assistance to advance reforms. 

Speaking at a meeting of the Consultative Group of the EU he said the government is cooperating closely in this issue with EU.

Prior to 2012 May Armenian parliamentary elections the European Union  had formally pledged that if national elections were  held in line with European standards, it would organize a conference of donor countries for providing financial assistance to Armenia. The EU was supposed to release $1.5 billion to Armenia.

Stefan Fuele, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, was quoted by RFE/RL earlier this year as saying that Armenia deserves to be rewarded for progress made in implementing political and economic reforms. “We can already start discussing issues related to organization of that conference,” Fuele told journalists in Brussels. 

The EU first expressed readiness to organize such a forum in late 2011. Visiting Yerevan in July 2012, EU President Herman Van Rompuy indicated that it is contingent on the proper conduct of Armenia’s February 2013 presidential election.

The Consultative Group meeting was attended by the head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia Traian Hristea, head of  UN Development Program (UNDP) in Armenia, the UN resident coordinator Bradley Busetto, EU ambassadors, representatives of EU institutions and Armenian government agencies. -0-