Marta Kos: ‘Armenia and the EU have never been closer’

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos began her visit to Armenia on 19 March, meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

During her meeting with Prime Minister Pashinyan, discussions focused on enhancing regional connectivity, promoting prosperity, and ensuring lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“At a time of crisis in the Middle East, our relationship and the work towards peace in the South Caucasus have become even more important for trade and energy links to Asia,” Marta Kos said on X after the meeting.

At the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Grigoryan both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the Armenia-EU partnership ahead of the first historic EU-Armenia Summit to be held on 5 May. The Summit will follow the 8th European Political Community (EPC) Summit hosted by Armenia (scheduled for 4 May).

Commissioner Kos welcomed tangible progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations seen over the past months as well as Armenia’s ongoing efforts to promote the normalisation of relations with Türkiye.

Kos and Grigoryan oversaw the signing of the financing agreement for the period 2025-2027 and exchanged views on the rollout of funds as part of the €270 million Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia, announced in April 2024 by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Discussions also focused on shared ambitions on energy, digital and transport connectivity. The EU and Armenia confirmed they would continue working together in line with Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative, the TRIPP route and the EU’s Cross-Regional Connectivity Agenda, linking Europe with Central Asia via the South Caucasus and Türkiye. Commissioner Kos reaffirmed the EU’s support for Armenia’s integration into the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor. 

The EU and Armenia will also continue cooperation under the Global Gateway strategy, together with partner International Financial Institutions, to advance priority investments in energy, transport and digital connectivity in support of sustainable growth and peace. Discussions also focused on ensuring that Armenia is firmly integrated into regional transport networks, notably through the possible further development of the TEN-T extension.

Commissioner Kos commended the strong commitment of the Armenian authorities to deliver on the reforms linked to the visa liberalisation process. The benchmarks are included in the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan, which was presented to the Armenian authorities in November 2025. 

The EU and Armenia reaffirmed their commitment to human rights, the rule of law, and democratic values, with the EU pledging continued support for Armenia’s political and economic reforms and efforts to increase democratic resilience. Ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, Commissioner Kos said the EU would support Armenian democratic institutions to protect the integrity of elections and ensure the voter’s capacity to make sovereign choices.

Today, Commissioner Kos will visit EU-funded enterprises in Gyumri supporting social inclusion, local economic growth and job creation. She will also visit Gyumri’s historic marketplace, currently under EU-funded restoration. Marta Kos will also deliver a speech at Shirak State University and meet with Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) and local civil society representatives and journalists.

Find out more

Marta Kos post on X

Joint Press Release by Commissioner Marta Kos and Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan