Ambassador Balayan attended the EU-EaP Senior Officials Meeting

20 March, 2025

On March 20, the delegation of the Republic of Armenia, led by Ambassador Tigran Balayan, Head of the Mission of Armenia to the EU, participated in the EU Eastern Partnership Senior Officials' Meeting in Brussels. Representatives from the European Commission, the European External Action Service, EU member states, and partner countries were also present at the meeting.

During the meeting, the Eastern Partnership Draft Multi-Annual Work Plan 2025-2027 was discussed. In this context, the Armenian delegation presented Armenia's priorities within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, emphasizing the need to maintain the viability of the format.

Ambassador Balayan made a speech at the meeting. In his remarks, Tigran Balayan presented the “Crossroads of Peace” project, initiated by the Government of Armenia, as well as emphasized the need to adopt an inclusive approach during the implementation of other European-funded regional infrastructure projects, including the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project.

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Remarks by Ambassador Tigran Balayan at the Eastern Partnership Senior Officials’ Meeting

I am glad that yet again we came together in this format to discuss the current state and future of the EaP framework. Armenia, standing at the outset of the framework, has greatly benefited from the Eastern Partnership projects: they have immensely contributed to the democratic transition of our country. They have built a solid ground for the bilateral cooperation between Armenia and the EU, where we have achieved so many historical milestones in recent years.

This complementarity between the bilateral and regional cooperation creates the potential to unlock new avenues for collaboration. And this is why we are pleased to see that the EaP format is not only being preserved but also revived. The materialisation of significant initiatives that were under discussion for a considerable time in the form of the Multi-Annual Work Plan will no doubt lead to further beneficial cooperation and we do support the continuity of this framework.

Armenia welcomes the proposed draft of the Eastern Partnership Multi-Annual Work Plan for 2025-2027. The timely proposals presented in this document have a potential to give a fresh impetus to the Eastern Partnership and foster greater cooperation both within the framework of the format and beyond.

We welcome the idea of flexible engagements beyond the EaP geographic scope with the principle of conditionality and a ‘more-for-more’ approach at its core. Differentiated approach, based on the ambitions and progress, made in the reforms shall continue to be the major driving force behind the EU support. And we think that Armenia, as the only non-candidate country to the EU who has registered an extensive progress, in line with the candidate countries, deserves to benefit from such programmes as EU Diplomatic Training. It will provide Armenian officials with the opportunity to also exchange expertise with the countries who have gone through the processes we prepare to engage in the future.

It is also commendable that connectivity issues have been highlighted as being pivotal in our agenda. In this context, I believe that the "The Crossroads of Peace" initiative of the Armenian Government, that most of you are very well aware of, could play an important role in fostering the interconnection and mutually beneficial cooperation amongst EaP countries and beyond. This is a project anchored on the principles of sovereignty, security, reciprocity and equality, envisaging the development of regional communications by means of renovating, building, and operating roads, railways, pipelines, cables, and electricity lines with an ambition of fostering regional cooperation. We stand ready to take further joint steps to use the huge potential of the “The Crossroads of Peace”, also by including it in the Global Gateway initiative of the EU. Connectivity is the Coal and Steel Union momentum for the South Caucasus, that is why despite all grievances, my government is awaiting the reciprocation of an extended hand to Baku to sign the Peace agreement and open the era of cooperation and prosperity in the region.

Dear colleagues,

Armenia also believes that the time has come to end the rivalry in our region and pave a way for peaceful coexistence for our future generations. We are convinced that the EU is very well positioned to use its soft power to enhance peace and stability in our region, by merely making sure that regional projects are inclusive and do not sideline any country. One such example is the Black Sea Submarine Cable Project. This is a regional communication project that has all the potential to become a platform for the regional stakeholders to cooperate over a mutually beneficial initiative. Being engaged in a project that can generate mutual gains is one of the best CSBMs that has proved its efficiency. No one knows this better than the European countries - exactly this approach was adopted when creating the European Union.

Dear participants,

Eastern Partnership is a well established format where we can cooperate in addressing common challenges outlined in the working plan through better coordination, sharing best practices and peer learning. Promoting greater cooperation between participating countries in areas such as FIMI and disinformation, democratic and societal resilience, confidence building and strengthening civil society and youth are of utmost importance as well.

In conclusion, I would like to reflect on the Annex of the Document, which presents an impressive list of events in the key areas of cooperation. Armenia is interested in hosting Eastern Partnership events and as we all agree that the present work plan is a leaving document, we will put forward our ideas fairly soon.

MFA RA
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