Tuesday, 27 October 2009
The tenth meeting of the EU-Armenia Cooperation Council took place on October 26, and a paper detailing the conclusion of the meeting was released on the same day.
Edward Nalbandyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, chaired the meeting. At the gathering, the EU delegation was led by Carl Bildt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, and the Commission was presented by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy. Diego López Garrido, State Secretary for European Affairs, was there to present the incoming Spanish Presidency.
The main topics discussed at the meeting were EU-Armenia relations and the EU-Armenia European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan. The other important issues discussed were rule of law, human rights and freedoms and the capability of the EU to support Armenian democratic institutions.
“The Cooperation Council welcomed the signature by Armenia and Turkey of the two protocols relating to the establishment of diplomatic relations and the development of bilateral relations between the two countries, including the opening of the border. The Cooperation Council underlined that the full normalisation of bilateral relations between Armenia and Turkey would be an important contribution to security, stability and cooperation throughout this crucial region. The EU will continue to offer its political and technical support to this process,” the paper says.
The Cooperation Council also pointed out the importance of the intensified dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The paper also mentions that before the meeting of the Cooperation Council, a joint ministerial working breakfast was held and that the EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia were organized to “discuss Eastern Partnership and prospects for deeper cooperation between the EU and the three South Caucasian countries, as well as Conflict Resolution.”
Yilmaz KAPLAN (JTW)
