Dear Prime Minister, dear Nikol, allow me to start, on behalf of the European Union, by thanking you once again for your warm hospitality. Yesterday, we had a very historic moment with the first meeting of the EPC in the region. But today, we have a new very important historic moment, the first ever summit between the European Union and Armenia. This sends a clear signal of how the EU wishes to engage with Armenia. Now Armenia is living a new momentum of peace, of consolidation of your democratic regime, and this of course is the good environment to develop our bilateral relationship. The strategic agenda for the European Union-Armenia partnership was adopted last December, and since then we have been strengthening our relationship. We are also working very closely on security and defence, from the European Peace Facility to joint efforts against the hybrid threat. As you know, the European Union partnership mission that was decided last April, that aims to strengthen Armenia's democratic resilience, is a tangible sign of our shared commitment to addressing common challenges. And of course, for us it's very important to protect the freedom of Armenian people to choose their own destiny. And you can count on us to work together and to develop together our common destiny. Armenia is a key pillar in our relationship with the South Caucasus, but also to interconnect Europe through the South Caucasus to Caspian Sea, Central Asia. This is the history of our regions, and this will be also the future of our regions. And that's why the European Commission and President von der Leyen for sure will focus on the concrete deliverables of this summit and how we can build on, in our strategic partnership, our common future in peace and for the prosperity of Armenian people and Europe. Thank you very much, Prime Minister. |
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