  EU announces South Caucasus funding July 2, 2026 - 11:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union will launch a €20 million peace initiative and provide up to €200 million in grants to strengthen transport, energy and digital connectivity across the South Caucasus. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Baku that the European Union is launching a new €20 million programme aimed at promoting peace in the region. She made the remarks during a joint press statement with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. She also outlined projects in healthcare, agriculture and water management, APA reported. "Today, I would like to announce a new €20 million programme to support peace. We want to help strengthen peace across the region and ensure that its benefits become visible and tangible in the daily lives of people living in border areas. For example, we will invest in improving healthcare services by purchasing ambulances. To enhance security, we will support demining efforts. We will also invest in building stronger local communities through rural development, water resource management, precision agriculture and other initiatives. Support for small and medium-sized enterprises will also be an important part of this programme," von der Leyen said. She also announced that the European Union will provide grants of up to €200 million to develop transport, energy and digital connectivity in the South Caucasus. According to von der Leyen, potential projects could include establishing a railway link through Nakhchivan and developing the Port of Baku, APA reported. "Under our Global Gateway investment strategy, we will allocate up to €200 million in grants for transport, energy and digital connectivity projects across the South Caucasus. This could help mobilize up to €2 billion in investment from both the public and private sectors," she said. Following her visit to Azerbaijan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to travel to Yerevan.   Top stories The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, have arrived in Washington. The CSTO budget for the current year requires adjustments due to the refusal of Yerevan to pay their share of contributions. Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says.   Partner news |  Latest news Viva sees growing demand for cloud services  In recent years, medical institutions are starting to make use of Viva’s cloud servicesTurkey replacing term "Central Asia" with "Turkestan" in textbooks The Turkish Ministry of Education is replacing the term "Central Asia" with "Turkestan" in textbooks.Armenia assumes presidency of Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities The Commission on Television and Radio of Armenia said it expects productive cooperation in various formats.Balance of attached cards in the Idram&IDBank app From now on, users will be able to view the online balances of cards issued by ArCa system banks and attached to the app. |
