Entry into force of CEPA opens up new prospects for diversified partnership between Armenia and European Union- Ara Ayvazyan and Josep Borrel

YEREVAN, March 3. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan had a telephone conversation on Tuesday with Vice President of the European Commission, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.
It said the two men congratulated each other on the completion of the ratification process of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). They stressed that the full entry into force of the agreement opens up new prospects for a diversified partnership between Armenia and the European Union.
Ayvazyan and Borrell also exchanged views on cooperation with the EU and EU countries in the framework of the Eastern Partnership, as well as on the schedule of upcoming events of the Eastern Partnership.
During the telephone conversation, issues of regional security and stability were discussed in detail. The interlocutors exchanged views on the participation of international partners in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
The parties attached importance to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The CEPA was signed in November 2017 and substantial parts of it have been provisionally applied since 1 June 2018. Since then, the breadth and depth of the bilateral cooperation between Armenia and the European Union have advanced steadily. At the 3rd EU-Armenia Partnership Council held on 17 December 2020, the European Union and Armenia reiterated their full commitment to implementing the CEPA.
The Agreement plays an important role for the modernization of Armenia, in particular through legislative approximation to EU norms in many sectors. This includes reforms in the rule of law and respect of human rights, particularly an independent, efficient and accountable justice system, as well as reforms aimed at enhancing the responsiveness and effectiveness of public institutions and at favoring the conditions for sustainable and inclusive development.
From the entry into force of the Agreement on 1 March, cooperation will be strengthened in those areas which to date were not subject to the provisional application of the Agreement. The European Union stands ready and looks forward to working even more closely with Armenia on the full and effective implementation of the Agreement, in our mutual interest and to the benefit of our societies and citizens. -0-