José Barroso: “We welcome Armenia’s efforts”
"The European Union welcomes Armenia's efforts to intensify trade and strengthen administrative institutions," President of the European Commission José Manuel Durao Barroso said during the meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan in Belgium.
He underlined that the EU-Armenia relations are regulated within the framework of the Eastern Partnership program.
"The European Commission assists Armenia in implementation of economic reforms, including provision of consultations. It is important that Armenia honour its commitments and implement democratic reforms," said Barroso.
"As to movement of people, I am please to say that we are starting visa facilitation talks," he said.
Speaking about regional issues, the EC President said, "The European Union supports a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity and the self-determination of peoples. We are seriously concerned about continuing armed incidents along the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan armed forces. The European Union supports the OSCE Minsk Group and will continue to promote regional cooperation and good neighborly relations through the multilateral track of the Eastern Partnership."
The EU diplomat noted that the European Union continues to support the Armenian-Turkish normalization and encourages both countries to stay committed to this historical process.
Speaking about Armenian-Turkish relations, Barroso said, "The European Union continues negotiations with Turkey taking into consideration the economic blockade and closed borders between the countries. Turkey and Armenia should proceed with negotiations and try to overcome the difficulties through a dialogue. The EU wants to see stable and constructive relations between countries in the same neighbourhood."
