Sat. Dec 7th, 2024

Granada, 5 October 2023 / Pashinyan, 5 October 2023

“We met today in the city of Granada, on the margins of the European Political Community summit hosted by Spain.

We reiterated our condemnation of the military operation by Azerbaijan against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and reaffirmed the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Armenia and Azerbaijan, on the basis of the 1991 Almaty declaration and the understanding that Armenia’s territory covers 29,800 km2 and Azerbaijan’s 86,600 km2. We also stressed that opening of regional connectivity links should be based on full respect of countries’ sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as on the principles of equality and reciprocity.

Armenia and the EU are bound by shared political values and their commitment to a rules-based international order.

In these difficult times, the EU and Armenia stand shoulder to shoulder.

We are committed to further strengthening EU-Armenia relations.

As we discussed earlier this week, our immediate focus is to attend to the humanitarian needs of the over 100,000 Karabakh Armenians who have fled to Armenia. We discussed how to ensure maximum effectiveness of the humanitarian aid and other immediate support provided by the EU which will reach 10.45 million euros.

President von der Leyen also announced that the Commission is mobilising funding to allocate 15 million euros from its annual programme for Armenia to be used as budget support. This will allow the government of Armenia to address urgent socio-economic needs and support purchasing food and fuel.

In the longer run, the European Union and Armenia are determined to reinforce their economic ties, working to bring out the full potential of our Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. In particular, the EU Economic Investment Plan (EIP) for Armenia provides up to 2.6 billion euros for investments in important infrastructure and other projects. The Commission and Armenia will redouble efforts to implement important projects. The Commission will also support Armenia’s participation in regional projects such as the Black Sea Electricity Cable. Finally, the Commission will step up technical assistance to Armenia, particularly in the areas of air safety and nuclear safety.

President von der Leyen informed of the preparations for a Joint EU-US event to support Armenia.

We will continue discussing ways to strengthen our relationship further in the coming days.”

Source: EU Commission

 


The EU Commission outlines further support measures for Armenia

Today at the European Political Community Summit in Granada, President von der Leyen outlined further measures of emergency and long-term support to Armenia.

President von der Leyen said:

“The EU stands by Armenia. We are doubling our humanitarian support to alleviate the plight of the 100,000 displaced Karabakh Armenians. And we are channelling more budget support towards the Armenian State. The EU remains fully committed to supporting the negotiations with Azerbaijan and facilitating the dialogue.”

The President made the following announcements:

  • Humanitarian assistance: the Commission will more than double its humanitarian aid, with a further €5.25 million in emergency assistance added to the previously announced €5.2 million. Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič will travel to Armenia tomorrow to assess the situation and discuss further targeted support, notably through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
  • EU4Peace programme: the EU4Peace programme willl be topped up with additional €800,000 to support emergency assistance, confidence-building measures, and media outlets known for their balanced reporting.
  • Annual programmes: the Commission will mobilise funding under annual programmes for Armenia in order to allocate €15 million, which can be used as budget support to the state to address socio-economic needs and purchases of food and fuel.
  • Technical assistance: the Commission will discuss with the Armenian authorities the urgent provision of technical assistance, including through the TAIEX and Twinning programmes, to address issues like air safety and nuclear safety
  • Economic and Investment Plan (EIP): the Commission is working on further support to Armenia, including on infrastructure, via the Economic and Investment Plan, which can deliver up to €2.6 billion of investments. The EIP is already delivering more than €413 million, which includes extensive assistance to the Syunik region in social protection and sustainable energy solutions.
  • Regional projects: the Commission will support Armenia’s participation in regional projects, in particular in the Black Sea electricity cable project with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania

Source – EU Commission 

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