On 18 June, nine Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) arrived in Armenia to take stock of EU-Armenia relations and reform efforts, ahead of the Parliament’s final vote on the new EU-Armenia comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement in July.
The delegation of MEPs, headed by Foreign Affairs Committee Chair David McAllister, will meet the country’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ara Babloyan, as well as ministers, national Members of Parliament and civil society representatives.
The MEPs will assess the political situation in the country and take stock of EU-Armenia relations and the reform efforts announced since the recent political turmoil, which resulted in a change of government.
Ahead of the visit, Mr McAllister said: “This is a key moment in the strengthening of Armenia’s democracy, but also in the deepening of EU-Armenian relations.”
“Armenia’s citizens have very high expectations, they want to see key reforms take place. The European Parliament attaches great importance to the developments in Armenia and its citizens’ aspirations, which is why we are coming to meet with Armenia’s leaders and civil society, ahead of the final vote on the new EU-Armenia agreement.”
On 16 May, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs applauded the citizens of Armenia on the recent peaceful transition of power and overwhelmingly gave their consent to the EU-Armenia comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement, opening up the possibility for deeper cooperation in different sectors. The European Parliament will have a final vote on the agreement in Strasbourg in July 2018.
