ARMENIA-EU NEGOTIATIONS SECOND ROUND TO BE HELD IN EARLY MAY IN
BRUSSELS AS PART OF ENLARGED EUROPE – NEW NEIGHBORS EU PROGRAM

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 20 2006

YEREVAN, April 20. /ARKA/. The second round of Armenia-EU negotiations
is to be held in the beginning of May in Brussels as part of Enlarged
Europe – New Neighbors EU Program, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan said at a news conference given Thursday after meeting with
his Austrian counterpart Hans Winkler in Yerevan.

In his words, the program will give a new impetus to cooperation
between Armenia and European Union and raise it to a new level. He
said the program will pay special attention to democratic reforms in
Armenia, especially taking into account parliamentary and Armenian
presidential elections expected in 2007 and 2008. Oskanyan stressed
that if the elections are conducted in wrong way, Armenia will loose
not only moral, but also financial support from European institutions.

Austrian Foreign Secretary Hans Winkler, in turn, noted that
the program adoption will lay proper groundwork for deepening
cooperation between the countries. He also expressed hope that
Armenian parliamentary and presidential elections will be up to
European standards.

EU Three delegation headed by Austrian Foreign Secretary Hans Winkler
arrived in Armenia on Thursday as part of his regional visit. The
delegation is made up of Austrian and Finnish Ambassadors to Armenia,
EU Special Envoy in South Caucasus as well as European Commission
and European Union representatives.

The delegation members are set to meet Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan and Armneian National Assembly Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan
in Yerevan. M.V. -0–