Marta Kos: We will support Armenia in combating hybrid threats and  disinformation 

ArmInfo.European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Marta Kos stated that she was pleased to return to Armenia after six months and see the country's transformation with her own eyes.

"Since my last visit, the world has become more unstable, and this once again demonstrates the importance of our partnership in the South Caucasus.  This once again demonstrates the importance of having reliable  partners and friends. This is how Europs sees Armenia," as stated by the European Commissioner  at a joint briefing with Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

Kos expressed gratitude to official Yerevan for its assistance in  evacuating Europeans from Iran through Armenian territory. She also  emphasized that 2026 is a truly important year for Armenia, as it  will host the European Political Community Summit on May 4, followed  by the first Armenia-EU Summit. "This demonstrates how important this  region has become for the European Union and how much our partnership  has deepened. Amid wars in the north and south, trade routes passing  through the South Caucasus are becoming more important than ever,"  she noted.

She reported that she had discussed with Armenian Deputy Prime  Minister Mher Grigoryan issues related to improving the  infrastructure linking Europe to Asia to reduce costs and delivery  times. She added that, since 2022, cargo volume in this direction has  quadrupled. She stated that this volume could increase even further  this year, which is in the interests of both Armenia and the EU. Kos  then touched on the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan,  emphasizing that the two countries have taken important steps toward  establishing peace, which is welcomed by the European Union. She also  emphasized the EU's readiness to promote investments to strengthen  regional connectivity. According to the European official, the  construction of checkpoints, bridges, and roads promotes stronger  people-to-people contacts and reduces the risk of conflict, something  the EU knows firsthand. She further stated that since the launch of  the Armenia Resilience Program, the EU has supported more than 7,000  businesses, helped build schools, and helped resettle refugees from  Nagorno-Karabakh, and intends to continue participating in such  projects.

"Today, we signed a funding agreement that will provide an additional  140 million euros in assistance for Armenia. These funds will, among  other things, support reforms necessary for visa liberalization.  Armenia is the only country in the world that is actively engaged in  a visa liberalization dialogue with the EU, and this reflects the  depth of their ties," Kos continued. In conclusion, she emphasized  that this is an important year for democracy in Armenia, as the  country will hold parliamentary elections in June. She noted that  Europe is constantly monitoring the abuse of various types of  disinformation and hybrid threats in various parts of the world. "We  will support Armenia in combating hybrid threats and disinformation  so that Armenians and citizens of Armenia can vote freely and fairly  and independently decide the future of their country," Kos concluded.

Earlier, Radio Liberty reported that they had  a letter from Armenian  Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to Brussels at their disposal, in  which he "requested the dispatch of a rapid response team to Yerevan  to counter Kremlin disinformation and Russian interference in the  parliamentary elections in Armenia." In this regard, it was recalled  that the EU sent a similar team of approximately 20 people to  Chisinau during last year's parliamentary elections "to help Moldovan  authorities identify and counter disinformation emanating from Russia  on social media." It should be added that the EU's top diplomat, Kaja  Kallas, previously announced the allocation of 15 million euros to  Armenia to "counter Russian propaganda."