On 16 May, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) responsible for foreign affairs issues gave their consent to the EU-Armenia comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement, opening up the possibility for deeper cooperation in different sectors.
The negotiations on the new EU-Armenia partnership agreement were launched in 2015 and concluded in 2017. It was then signed by both sides in November 2017. The final agreement marks a deeper EU-Armenia political dialogue, broadens the scope of economic cooperation and provides new opportunities for closer ties on energy, transport, infrastructure, environment, trade, education and other sectors.
MEPs backed the deal by 55 votes to 2, with 7 abstentions. However, the full House will have a final vote on the agreement in Strasbourg in July 2018.
MEPs also applauded the citizens of Armenia on the recent peaceful transition of power and welcomed the restraint shown by the law enforcement bodies, though some unjustified arrests of peaceful demonstrators raised concerns. They also congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his election as the new Prime Minister of Armenia and said they look forward to increased cooperation.
