The EU-Armenia Partnership Council met for the fifth time in Brussels on 13 February 2024. It was chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr Josep Borrell, while the Armenian delegation was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Mr Ararat Mirzoyan. Mr Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General European Neighbourhood and Enlargement also attended.
The meeting confirmed the mutual interest and commitment of the EU and Armenia to strengthen and deepen their relations based on common values. To this end, they agreed to launch work on a new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda, establishing more ambitious joint priorities for cooperation across all dimensions.
The EU and Armenia reviewed the implementation of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and welcomed the progress achieved as outlined in the recently published Partnership Implementation Report. The Partnership Council then discussed political dialogue and reform, democracy, rule of law and human rights, economic, trade, and sectoral cooperation, as well as migration, mobility, and the prospects of launching a visa liberalisation dialogue. The Partnership Council noted that the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) has successfully mobilized over €550 million worth of investments in Armenia, and expressed a commitment to continue fostering sustainable development in Armenia by leveraging public and private investments.
Lastly, participants exchanged views on regional matters and foreign and security policy. On this occasion, the EU also announced an additional €5.5 million in humanitarian aid to support the displaced Karabakh Armenians. The parties stressed the absolute necessity of establishing durable peace and stability in the South Caucasus.