Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Commentary

ARMENIA AND THE EU MAKE PROGRESS AT ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS

28 January 2012

Armenia and the European Union have made progress in the negotiations of an Association Agreement that would considerably upgrade the relations between the South Cucasus country and the European Bloc. The eighth round of negotiations on the Association Agreement was held in Brussels on January 25-26. The Armenian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister, Chief Negotiator Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and the European Union Delegation was headed by Director for Eastern Europe of the European External Action Service, Gunnar Wiegand.

According to a statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry posted on its website, "the negotiations resulted in substantial progress in terms of the main goals and principles of the future Agreement as well as on political dialogue, foreign and security policy, and cooperation in the sphere of justice". 22 chapters of the future Agreement concerning cooperation in the economic and financial spheres are already discussed and temporarily closed. The sides expressed the confidence that during the next plenary session, it will be possible to start negotiations on the chapters of the agreement concerning the establishment of a comprehensive free trade area.

During the negotiations, the sides also reached agreement to start negotiations on the visa regime facilitation for Armenian citizens in late February. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to be held in Yerevan in late March.

Armenia has recently been giving particular attention to its relations with the European Union. Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan visited Brussels on three ocassions last year for negotiations with EU officials. The EU is seeking to sign Association Agreements with all the three South Caucasus countries, and sees this as the next step in the development of its relations with the region

 

source: commonspace.eu with the Press Service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry

Photo: The Armenian Delegation at the 8th round of the negotiations of an Association Agreement with the EU in Brussels on 25-26 January 2012 (Picture courtesy of the Armenian MFA/Mediamax)

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Mark Carney: "The world is in the midst of a rupture, not a transition"
Trending

Mark Carney: "The world is in the midst of a rupture, not a transition"

21 January 2026
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the "old order is not coming back" and urged fellow middle powers to come together in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Middle powers must act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu," Carney said on Tuesday, adding that he believed powerful nations were using economic coercion to get what they want. He also affirmed Canada's support for Greenland, Denmark and the Nato alliance, drawing applause. "Great powers" are often defined as countries with permanent seats on United Nations Security Council - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - which shows their economic and military dominance in the world. Middle powers, such as Canada, Australia, Argentina, South Korea and Brazil, are nations that still exert large influence in global politics, even though their economies are smaller. In his speech, Carney said the world is "in the midst of a rupture, not a transition". "Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited," he said. He also said "Canada was amongst the first to hear the wake-up call" that geography and historic alliances no longer guaranteed security or prosperity. As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Canada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark and supports "their unique right to determine Greenland's future", Carney said in his speech. "Our commitment to Article Five is unwavering," the prime minister added, referring to a clause in the Nato agreement that states an attack against one member state is considered an attack on all. (read the full speech of the Canadian prime minister at Davos by clicking the picture).

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov
Trending

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

15 January 2026
Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)
Murad Muradov
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Murad Muradov