West`s view of peace in South Caucasus not against anyone - Vassilis  Maragos

ArmInfo. The cooperation between the EU and Armenia is based on common values, joint  commitments aimed at promoting peace, development and prosperity in Armenia and the region, head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Vassilis Maragos stated at the 'Crossroads of Peace: combining security and  democracy' forum in Yerevan, on October 12. 

According to him, this cooperation is also based on other pillars  related to the international order and governance, which today face  serious threats.

"And I would like to immediately emphasize that the Partnership  Council, in which Minister Mirzoyan also took part, welcomed this  initiative, the goal of which is to establish peace and normal  relations, open transport communications in the region, while  maintaining the principles of national self-determination and  ensuring reciprocity, which underlie the Crossroads of Peace  project," Maragos noted.

In this vein, he recalled that in October last year he attended the  presentation of this project by the Prime Minister of Armenia, which  was welcomed by everyone.

"We welcomed this and we are actively working with all our partners  in Armenia in this direction, as well as with our partners in the  region, so that the initiative can be implemented," the EU Ambassador  emphasized. At the same time, he added that another positive process  has been taking place between Armenia and the European Union since  October last year. 

"Do you remember the Prime Minister's speech in the European  Parliament about a year ago? And we also received a specific task  from the Council of Europe to develop relations between Armenia and  the EU in different directions. And since then, the EU and Armenia  have been working tirelessly, opening up new areas of interaction so  that this can be implemented. And I can proudly say that these joint  efforts are yielding results. Why? Because there is a joint political  commitment and a specific focus on both sides, as well as a joint  commitment to our common values: human rights, democracy, the rule of  law," Maragos said. 

The diplomat stressed that the European Union has supported and  continues to support Armenia in a number of areas: economic, legal,  the interconnectedness of reforms, independence and regional ties.   Maragos noted that peace is part of this support.

"We are currently negotiating a partnership program and have already  made good progress. And we will unleash the full potential of  Armenia-EU relations, which we also agreed on in our CEPA agreement.   Justice, governance, human rights are the main areas in which we  work, and we are trying to strengthen not only Armenian institutions,  but also trying to ensure the democratic sustainability of the  country in the long term," the EU said. Ambassador.

Vassilis Maragos recalled that European Commission President Ursula  von der Leyen presented the Resilience and Growth Program on April 5  during a meeting with RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US  Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Armenia will receive 270 million euros in grant support over four  years, and we hope that this will play an important role in terms of  developing Armenia's resilience and bringing it closer to Europe,  especially in terms of connectivity, business development, as well as  economic diversification, as well as sustainable economic development  in the regional and global market. And this is important for the  implementation of the vision of peace and prosperity in the entire  region. This vision is not directed against anyone in the region, but  it is consistent and in line with our policy in the region. I would  also like to emphasize that more than 600 million euros of  investments have been made within the framework of the economic and  investment program through grants and loans. This is infrastructure,  private sector development, development of a green economy. In this  sense, we have formed an investment platform," he said, adding that  the EU is also working in the field of nuclear and aviation security. 

According to Maragos, the EU is also dealing with the fate of the  Karabakh Armenians. "In one year we have invested more than one  hundred million euros, and as part of our budget support it was  decided to add thirty million to the government's budget to share  with you the burden placed on the government's shoulders," the  European diplomat said.

The ambassador then recalled the support within the framework of the  European Instrument for Peace. 

"There is also a decision by European ministers on July 22, according  to which Armenia is a country that will be able to benefit from the  support of the Peace Fund. This is non-lethal support, and it will  strengthen your capacity, especially when it comes to peace and  participation in missions. We have an event worth 10 million for  Armenia's participation in peacekeeping missions conducted by the  European Union. We have received the green light from member states,  and this is a complex process," Maragos said. 

He then touched upon the liberalization of the visa regime, stressing  that the institutions of the European Union, as well as member states  and Armenia, had been working on this issue for a month. "There was a  meeting in Yerevan, and we must also work in this direction so that  visa liberalization becomes a reality.  Technical work is underway in  this direction.

He stressed that, nevertheless, the institutions of the European  Union, as well as the member states and Armenia, were working a month  ago. "There was a meeting in Yerevan, and we also need to work  towards making visa liberalization a reality. Technical work is  underway in this direction. All this will have a positive impact on  the reforms being carried out in Armenia, Armenia's sustainability,  economic development, and I must repeat, it will also have a positive  impact on regional ties, as well as peace and normalization. Visa  liberalization in particular will bring very positive results in  terms of establishing people-to-people ties, which is also important  in terms of establishing ties," he said, pointing out the importance  of using all resources to achieve success, although this may take  years.