Armenia and EU member states to have maximum benefits from Eastern Partnership project

PanARMENIAN.Net - Foreign Ministers from EU member states and Eastern Partnership countries will meet Tuesday in Brussels to conduct the first round of their talks.



During his visit to Stockholm, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandyan met with his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt.



"Armenia attaches great importance to cooperation with the European Union and its Member States. The Eastern Partnership initiative provides a new framework for this relationship through enhanced political dialogue, increased trade opportunities and people-to-people contacts. Another added value of the Eastern Partnership is that it supports cooperation among the partner states, which is can be critical to the overall success of the initiative. At this first ministerial meeting we will take stock of the progress achieved and I look forward to productive discussions with my colleagues on the perspectives of our future cooperation," Armenian top diplomat said



According to him, the Eastern Partnership not only reflects the progress achieved in relations between Armenia and the EU in the last decade, but also offers the perspective of an Association Agreement, which will adapt Armenia's cooperation to the new realities and will take into consideration the aspirations of each partner state and the European Union.



Commenting upon Armenia's possible advantages within project frameworks, Armenian FM noted, "Cooperation presupposes common values and interests. Armenia and EU member states will have maximum benefits from the project. For us, a priority issue is the relaxation of visa regime, which will enable people to broaden cooperation frameworks."