The Success of the EU-Armenia Negotiations is Important for All Parties

• 11.26.2016, 17:39
• Anna Karapetyan
•  Europe,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  Armenia,  Analytics

Armenia and the EU are now actively negotiating over a new framework agreement. As the sides mention, there is a serious progress in the process of agreeing on the main issues and it is expected that in spring it will already be possible to sign a new agreement.

Singing of this agreement is important not only for the sides, but also for all the actors of the whole region. In the EU-Armenia agreement the sides are making efforts to coordinate the trade-economic rules, norms and regulations of the EAEU and the EU, find the ways of overcoming problems that arise. In case of success, EU-Armenia relations can become a model and basis for paving way for the EU-EAEU cooperation and its formalization.

Armenia has always declared that it does not accept the principle that the two integration vectors contradict each other and it will seek to move with "and…and" principle. Today Armenia’s this approach has become quite acceptable and grounded both for the EU partners, for other Eastern Partnership countries including Russia.

The EU in its turn, recently reviewed the European Neighborhood Policy, a part of which is the EaP and consequently the EU-Armenia relations. The basis of the review was increasing the flexibility of the policy and the level of response to the partners’ wishes and approaches. On the other hand, the EAEU countries and particularly Russia have many times declared that they are ready to discuss issues of cooperation. Brussels, taking into consideration several geopolitical factors, still has not expressed readiness to respond to the suggestion of the RF. However, through Armenia it actively works on the development of mechanisms for the coordination of the two systems.

Therefore, Armenia due to its continuing effective cooperation and negotiating experience with the EU, is doing very important work for all parties. This means that all the parties in their turn will do their best to bring this process to its logical end.