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TALKS ON ARMENIA-EU ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT GET UNDERWAY
Panorama
July 19 2010
Armenia
The talks on the Association Agreement between Armenia and the European
Union kicked off today. According to the press office of the Armenian
Foreign Ministry, before the negotiations Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan met with the EU delegation headed by Gunnar Wiegand,
the director of the European Commission's Unit for Relations with
Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Central Asia.
The negotiations were opened by the Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
who noted in his speech that "Our will to deepen cooperation with the
EU was expressed during President Sargsyan's visit to Brussels in May."
Edward Nalbandyan also noted that cooperation between Armenia and EU
has essentially progressed in the spheres of foreign policy, political
dialogue, justice, freedoms and security, economy and energy, etc.
He said the "Eastern Partnership" program, the activity of the EU
Advisory group in Armenia, established of dialogue with the EU on
human rights pointed out the readiness of the two parties to bring
the relations on a new qualitative level.
The minister noted that July 6 the Armenia-EU justice, freedoms and
security affairs sub-commission successfully ended its first meeting.
Head of the EU negotiation team Gunnar Wiegand presented the message
of Catherine Ashton on the occasion of launching of the negotiations.
The main document regulating Armenia's cooperation with the EU -
the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement entered into force July
1999 with 10 year term. According to the corresponding article of
the document, after the time expires the agreement is automatically
prolonged with one-year term. The association agreement will replace
the currently functioning Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. It
will reflect the guidelines of cooperation in economic integration,
free move, energy issues. The agreement will also have cooperation
elements in general foreign and security policy sphere.
The negotiations over the association agreement will take place in
three thematic groups which will negotiate over political dialogue,
foreign and security policy, justice, freedoms as well as economic,
financial, cultural, energy and other spheres.
For organizing the negotiation process Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan signed July 15 an order "About Negotiations over Association
Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union",
according to which from the Armenian side the coordinator is Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandyan and the chief negotiator is deputy foreign
minister Karine Ghazinyan.
The head of the justice, freedoms and security affairs task group
will be deputy justice minister Nikolay Arustamyan, the head of
the economic, financial cooperation affairs will be deputy finance
minister Mushegh Tumasyan.
From: A. Papazian
Panorama
July 19 2010
Armenia
The talks on the Association Agreement between Armenia and the European
Union kicked off today. According to the press office of the Armenian
Foreign Ministry, before the negotiations Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan met with the EU delegation headed by Gunnar Wiegand,
the director of the European Commission's Unit for Relations with
Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Central Asia.
The negotiations were opened by the Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
who noted in his speech that "Our will to deepen cooperation with the
EU was expressed during President Sargsyan's visit to Brussels in May."
Edward Nalbandyan also noted that cooperation between Armenia and EU
has essentially progressed in the spheres of foreign policy, political
dialogue, justice, freedoms and security, economy and energy, etc.
He said the "Eastern Partnership" program, the activity of the EU
Advisory group in Armenia, established of dialogue with the EU on
human rights pointed out the readiness of the two parties to bring
the relations on a new qualitative level.
The minister noted that July 6 the Armenia-EU justice, freedoms and
security affairs sub-commission successfully ended its first meeting.
Head of the EU negotiation team Gunnar Wiegand presented the message
of Catherine Ashton on the occasion of launching of the negotiations.
The main document regulating Armenia's cooperation with the EU -
the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement entered into force July
1999 with 10 year term. According to the corresponding article of
the document, after the time expires the agreement is automatically
prolonged with one-year term. The association agreement will replace
the currently functioning Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. It
will reflect the guidelines of cooperation in economic integration,
free move, energy issues. The agreement will also have cooperation
elements in general foreign and security policy sphere.
The negotiations over the association agreement will take place in
three thematic groups which will negotiate over political dialogue,
foreign and security policy, justice, freedoms as well as economic,
financial, cultural, energy and other spheres.
For organizing the negotiation process Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan signed July 15 an order "About Negotiations over Association
Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union",
according to which from the Armenian side the coordinator is Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandyan and the chief negotiator is deputy foreign
minister Karine Ghazinyan.
The head of the justice, freedoms and security affairs task group
will be deputy justice minister Nikolay Arustamyan, the head of
the economic, financial cooperation affairs will be deputy finance
minister Mushegh Tumasyan.
From: A. Papazian