Armenia ready for closer relations with EU - ruling party
YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA/. Armenia is ready for closer relations with the European Union, Secretary of the ruling Civil Contract party’s faction in the parliament Artur Hovhannisyan said on Friday, commenting on Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan's statements that the country should strive to become an EU candidate.
"Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has publicly stated the country's readiness to get as close to the EU as the EU itself is ready," Hovhannisyan said at a press briefing.
He emphasized that rapprochement with the EU is important for Armenia for several reasons. First of all, he emphasized the role of the EU observation mission patrolling Armenia's border with Azerbaijan.
According to Hovhannisyan, today the EU observation mission plays a big role in the issue of Armenia's border security.
"After the arrival of the observers, the dynamics on Armenia's borders have improved significantly," the parliamentarian said.
Besides, the rapprochement, in his opinion, is also important in terms of new markets.
"The rapprochement with the European Union is also rational for the development of democracy and in general the civilizational development of our country. Establishing closer relations with the EU countries is an important item on the agenda of our policy," the deputy said.
According to him, Armenia's state interests are taken into account here.
In his turn, head of the parliamentary standing committee on state-legal issues, MP from the ruling Civil Contract party Vladimir Vardanyan that participation in integration processes is the sovereign right of every state.
‘No one will deny the fact that in terms of economic integration, the EU example is one of the best, if not the best," Vardanyan emphasized.
The Armenia Strategic Future forum held in Brussels last November 9-10 issued a declaration calling Armenia's integration into Europe a strategic perspective.
It also calls for Armenia's withdrawal from the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States and continuation of relations with Russia exclusively in a bilateral format. --0--
