Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan Meets with EU Representatives

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan received a delegation led by Vasilis Maragos, head of the Armenia partnerships unit in the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, who is visiting Armenia for a working trip. Also present at the meeting was Andrea Victorin, head of the EU delegation to Armenia. This information was reported by the press service of the Government of Armenia.

The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the guests and congratulated them on the recent holidays, wishing that they would continue their productive work in the same constructive manner and implement joint projects in 2020. He noted with satisfaction that progress had been recorded on all issues of the bilateral cooperation agenda.

Mher Grigoryan particularly emphasized the successful implementation process of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Armenia and the EU, referring to the joint statement resulting from the Partnership Committee held at the end of 2019. He presented the process of developing and approving sectoral strategies and the rationale behind Armenia's transformation strategy, distinguishing the main megagoals and their connection to CEPA and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mher Grigoryan underlined the importance of involving Armenia's development partners in the strategy formulation process, referring to the participation of donor community representatives during discussions of individual strategies.

Vasilis Maragos expressed gratitude for the reception, considering the meeting at the beginning of the year a good opportunity to assess the joint work done and outline the upcoming tasks. The EU official highly appreciated the established effective cooperation, which has also increased the support provided to Armenia. Emphasizing the significance of the work accomplished and the actual results through the Armenia-EU collaboration, Vasilis Maragos expressed readiness to continue to develop relations with Armenia and be a reliable partner in programs aimed at the country's development.

Both parties underscored the importance of implementing reforms in the judiciary and police sectors. Vasilis Maragos positively assessed the government's already implemented reforms and the outlined upcoming tasks in these areas. The discussion also included the upcoming priorities to be presented by the EU within the framework of the Eastern Partnership and the directions for joint programming after 2020.