ACCORDING TO SERZH SARGSYAN, EU STRUCTURES ARE CONTENT WITH LEVEL OF RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Nov 13, 2008
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The whole complex of
Armenia-European Union relations was discussed at the working
consultation held by RA President Serzh Sargsyan on November 13 with
the participation of members of the RA National Security Council and
government, as well as heads of various interested departments.
Presenting the details of his latest visit to Brussels, S. Sargsyan put
forward some problems regarding further development of cooperation with
the European Union. He said that the program of his visit to Brussels
was rather eventful: more than twenty meetings were held within
three days with almost the whole presidency of the European Union,
as well as he gave several interviews to the leading European media.
S. Sargsyan’s first impression from the negotiations is that the
EU structures, their representatives are obviously content with the
level of relations with Armenia and the work done, and the second,
there is willingness to continue and to deepen the relations, to
implement bolder programs.
S. Sargsyan said that naturally, during the meetings they also
spoke about common political issues, Armenian-Turkish relations,
Nagorno Karabakh settlement, but the main subject of discussions was
the Armenia-EU Actions Plan and the concrete issues Armenia proposes
that European structures solve on the way of deepening the bilateral
relations.
Emphasizing Armenia’s willingness of further rapprochement with Europe,
S. Sargsyan said that as the first steps at that stage the Armenian
side proposes simplifying the contacts of RA citizens by establishing
a milder visa regime to create equal conditions for trade, that is,
for the RA economy to be recognized as a market economy and a contract
of free trade to be signed. An agreement on simplification of the visa
regime and on creation of a sub-committee in connection with the court
and legal reforms in Armenia together with the EU Committee on Issues
of Justice and Freedom has been reached: it will be formed soon. An
agreement has been reached with the European Commissioner for Trade
to send a group of expert-advisers to Armenia in December. They will
work out a clear-cut schedule of actions with the Armenian officials. A
document on sending a group of EU advisers has been also signed. They
will assist with the implementation of the actions plan.
In S. Sargsyan’s opinion, the new actions plan, in all probability,
will be within the framework of the EU Eastern Policy and will have
two peculiarities: first, the component of regional cooperation will
be more exact and second, different volumes and depth will be intended
for the participants of the European Neighborhood program depending
on the fact of how much a country is ready for it.
The President demanded treating the formation of a new program very
seriously and instructed the Ministers and heads of the respective
departments to establish a personal control over the work of the
spheres within their jurisdiction.
During the consultation Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian presented
the process of the Actions Plan, the work done in different directions
in 2008 mentioning that they are the continuation of the actions
launched in 2007.
The Minister said that Armenia will present the account on the work
done in 2008 during the sitting of the EU Council of Ministers to be
held on December 9 in Brussels.
National Security Council Secretary Artur Baghdasarian touched upon
the activity of the Interdepartmental Commission on Cooperation
with the European structures. He said that a new, rather ambitious
package of actions has been formed on the basis of the proposals of
all interested Ministries and departments, which can be a good basis
for discussions and further cooperation.
According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s
Press Office, the same day S. Sargsyan had a working dinner with the
heads of EU member-countries’ diplomatic representations accredited
in Armenia.