Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s working visit to Brussels – Foreign visits – Updates

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Brussels on a working visit.

A trilateral meeting will be held with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Nikol Pashinyan will meet with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever.

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A trilateral meeting between the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the European Council António Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen took place in Brussels.

A joint press release was adopted following the results of the meeting, which is presented below:

”EU and Armenia reaffirm and advance their partnership during a leaders’ meeting

Today in Brussels, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to reaffirm and advance the growing partnership between the European Union and Armenia. President Costa and President von der Leyen welcomed Armenia’s ambitious reform agenda and expressed their support for Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic reforms.

During the meeting, the leaders welcomed the recent political agreement on the text of the EU-Armenia New Partnership Agenda, a key milestone in their shared commitment to deepening ties. They also noted with satisfaction the progress in the visa liberalisation process and Armenia’s recent law ‘On the Launch of the process of European integration”.

The EU reaffirmed its strong commitment to supporting Armenia’s resilience and long-term development through substantial financial and technical assistance. Under the Global Gateway strategy, EU investments in Armenia are now expected to reach EUR 2.5 billion, fostering inclusive growth and connectivity. The EUR 270 million Resilience and Growth Plan, announced in April 2024, boosted EU funding to Armenia by 50%. With EUR 200 million in grant assistance and EUR 70 million in grant funding to leverage investments, it continues to support Armenia’s socio-economic reform agenda, closer sectoral cooperation, and investments in energy, transport, and the private sector.

In this context, the EU reaffirmed its support for Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative, to promote regional connectivity and reconciliation. President Costa and President von Der Leyen also acknowledged Armenia ongoing efforts to promote stability in the South Caucasus, particularly through continued engagement in peace talks with Azerbaijan and steps towards the normalisation of relations with Türkiye. The leaders also underlined the importance of the possibility to include Armenia’s in the European Union’s regional and economic initiatives, particularly within the framework of the Black Sea Strategy,

Furthermore, President Costa and President von der Leyen thanked Armenia for its close cooperation and the steps taken in preventing sanctions circumvention. Together with Prime Minister Pashinyan, they agreed to continue collective efforts to that end.

Security cooperation featured prominently in the discussions. The leaders welcomed the launch of EU-Armenia Security and Defence consultations, underscoring their shared commitment to peace, stability, and democratic resilience’

Addressing a range of security concerns, including foreign information manipulation and interference, disinformation, and cyber threats, the EU proposed to work together with Armenia to assess its needs, identify priority areas for cooperation, and leverage available EU instruments. To support Armenia’s information ecosystem, the EU announced a new EUR 1.5 million envelope to strengthen independent media.

EU leaders welcomed that Armenia will host the European Political Community Summit and the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Finally, the leaders concluded that today’s meeting represents an important step in EU-Armenia relations and called for continued progress at the next EU-Armenia Partnership Council this autumn’’.

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A meeting between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Martha Kos was held in Brussels.

The latter welcomed the visit of the delegation led by the Armenian Prime Minister and highlighted the importance of the consistent and effective dialogue with Armenia. She noted with pleasure that the discussions on the new Armenia-EU partnership agenda have been completed, and the signing of the document is planned within the framework of the next EU-Armenia Partnership Council session. Marta Kos once again expressed the EU’s strong support for Armenia’s ambitious reform agenda and the effective implementation of democratic reforms.

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that he had a productive meeting with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, expressing hope that the close Armenia-EU cooperation will continue to develop and strengthen in various directions. The Prime Minister highlighted the EU’s support for Armenia’s economic diversification, transport, infrastructure development, expanding the capabilities of small and medium-sized businesses, introducing EU standards, etc.

The interlocutors discussed the programs implemented in our country with the EU financial instruments and issues related to the promotion of economic partnership.

Reference was made to the programs implemented by the Armenian Government to address the social problems of people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. Prime Minister Pashinyan highlighted the importance of the international community’s continued support in this direction.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos noted that she is planning to visit Armenia in the near future to discuss joint programs and initiatives in more detail.

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A meeting between the Prime Ministers of Armenia and Belgium, Nikol Pashinyan and Bart De Wever, took place in Brussels.

The interlocutors discussed a number of issues on the agenda of Armenia-Belgium relations. The parties expressed satisfaction with the dynamic nature of the political dialogue and emphasized the importance of taking consistent steps to develop trade and economic partnership, investments, and expand business ties.

The Belgian Prime Minister expressed his country’s support for the development of Armenia-European Union relations, expressing confidence that the visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia to Brussels will give a new impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation.

Prime Minister Pashinyan expressed satisfaction with the results of the meetings held today and emphasized the commitment of the Government of Armenia to develop cooperation with the EU, including the effective promotion of institutional reforms.

Nikol Pashinyan and Bart De Wever exchanged views on regional developments, including the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s working visit to Brussels has concluded.