EU and Armenia reaffirm and advance their partnership during leaders’ meeting

On 14 July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa met Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels to reaffirm and advance the growing partnership between the European Union and Armenia. 

Von der Leyen and Costa welcomed Armenia’s ambitious reform agenda and expressed their support for Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic reforms.

The leaders welcomed the recent political agreement on the text of the EU-Armenia New Partnership Agenda, the progress in the visa liberalisation process and Armenia’s recent law ‘On the Launch of the process of European integration’.

The EU reaffirmed its strong commitment to supporting Armenia’s resilience and long-term development through substantial financial and technical assistance. “Under the Global Gateway strategy, EU investments in Armenia are expected to reach €2.5 billion, fostering inclusive growth and connectivity,” the European Commission said in a press release. “The €270 million Resilience and Growth Plan, announced in April 2024, boosted EU funding to Armenia by 50%. With €200 million in grant assistance and €70 million in grant funding to leverage investments, it continues to support Armenia’s socio-economic reform agenda, closer sectoral cooperation, and investments in energy, transport, and the private sector.”

In this context, the EU reaffirmed its support for Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative to promote regional connectivity and reconciliation. President von der Leyen and President Costa also acknowledged Armenia’s ongoing efforts to promote stability in the South Caucasus, particularly through continued engagement in peace talks with Azerbaijan and steps towards the normalisation of relations with Türkiye. 

The leaders also discussed the possibility of including Armenia in the European Union’s regional and economic initiatives, particularly within the framework of the Black Sea Strategy.

Furthermore, von der Leyen and Costa thanked Armenia for its close cooperation and the steps taken in preventing sanctions circumvention. Together with Prime Minister Pashinyan, they agreed to continue collective efforts to that end.

The leaders also welcomed the launch of EU-Armenia Security and Defence Consultations.

Addressing foreign information manipulation and interference, disinformation, and cyber threats, the EU proposed to work together with Armenia to assess its needs, identify priority areas for cooperation, and leverage available EU instruments. To support Armenia’s information ecosystem, the EU announced a new €1.5 million envelope to strengthen independent media.

EU leaders welcomed the fact that Armenia will host the European Political Community Summit and the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  

The leaders concluded that the meeting represented “an important step” in EU-Armenia relations and called for continued progress at the next EU-Armenia Partnership Council this autumn.

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Press release