On February 22, the Final Report and the website of the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform were presented.
Mr Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Mr Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the RA National Security Council, H.E. Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, and Mr Simo Tiainen, Co-Chair of the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform from the European Side delivered welcoming remarks. Ms Lousineh Hakobyan, Co-Chair of the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform (Europe in Law Association), Mr Gagik Makaryan (Republican Union of Employers) and Mr Arsen Igityan (Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia) presented the report.
In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan reaffirmed the readiness of the Armenian Government to continue and institutionalise dialogue with the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform.
‘In these challenging times we greatly value the participation of civil society in the decision-making process and its objective assessments. We are open to discussions about the developments and interactions between the European structures of Yerevan and Brussels, also taking into account recent intensification thereof, which implies the involvement and active participation of all actors, as well as the larger public. As you know, our today’s discussion follows the 5th session of the RA-EU Partnership Council held in Brussels, which recorded progress on both sides. The EU welcomed the RA’s commitment to the CEPA and highly appreciated the progress achieved. The joint statement of the meeting underscored the achievements made so far in the direction of the reforms in the justice sector, the fight against corruption, the creation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and police reforms with the support of the EU. It was also emphasized that the new agenda of the RA-EU partnership would aim at exploring the potential of the treaty to its full. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I suggest hereinafter holding our meetings before the work of the RA-EU institutional bodies, which will give us an opportunity to get familiarised with the perceptions of the Platform and the views of the programs and the updated information in advance. The Platform has an important role in the ongoing promotion of the RA-EU partnership, including in the area of fight against corruption, the rule of law, protection of human rights, education, economy, including green economy.
In this context, we also attach importance to the report of the Platform on CEPA implementation to be presented today. The problems highlighted in the report are important for us, and I assure you that they will be taken into account in our joint work, and in the process of improving the monitoring and communication mechanisms. The role of civil society and this particular Platform in raising awareness of our common values with Europe is invaluable. We believe that our citizens should take ownership of CEPA, and in order to achieve this goal, we must cooperate by continuing constructive dialogue and increasing the level of accountability,’ Mher Grigoryan said.
Ambassador Vasilis Maragos noted:
‘The successful implementation of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) relies upon the proactive engagement of civil society organizations (CSOs). Their involvement in policymaking and governance reforms is vital for driving political transformation in Armenia and fostering deeper EU-Armenia cooperation. Let’s prioritize inclusivity and participation in this process as we work together towards mutual progress and societal benefit,’ Ambassador Maragos said.
Mr Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of the National Security Council noted that it was very important for Armenia to strengthen its cooperation with the EU through civil society.
‘Our cooperation with the EU has been deepening lately, and security has also become part of that dialogue. You know that Armenia has applied for the European Peace Facility. This is another vivid example of how RA-EU relations are deepening, and it is clear that the role of civil society in this close cooperation is very important. It is difficult to imagine any cooperation between our democratic societies without civil society. I would like to welcome this event also in this context, stressing that we see civil society as an important partner and appreciate its role in strengthening RA-EU relations. It is clear that in the long term, if we want to develop our relations and put them on a stable basis: the relations with the EU should include civil society, economy, security and other directions, and I think it is clear that our cooperation will only strengthen,’ Armen Grigoryan noted.
Mr Simo Tiainen, Co-Chair of the EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform from the European side noted that he was happy to see that the Armenian partners of the Platform had been actively involved in the monitoring of CEPA with policy papers and other documents. He noted that he expected even more cooperation in the direction of the new European agenda, hoping that the bilateral meeting of the Platform to be held in Yerevan next month would contribute to the progress in that direction.
In her welcoming remarks, Ms Lousineh Hakobyan, Co-Chair of the Platform from the Armenian side, noted, in partcular:
“I would like to thank the RA government, represented by Mher Grigoryan and other partners, the delegation of the European Union and other EU bodies, for the very effective cooperation during these two years of our activities. I would also like to thank the EU for standing by Armenia in the difficult situation in which we have found ourselves. I must also mention the role of the EU Member States, which have contributed to the promotion of the EU-RA agenda with their highly valuable initiatives and programs. I specifically want to mention France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland. It is impossible to list them all.
We highly appreciate the results of the recently held meeting of the RA-EU Partnership Council, we also highly appreciate the launch of the RA-EU Security Dialogue last year, the deployment of the EU Monitoring Mission, which increases the presence of the EU in Armenia. We emphasize that the issue of Armenia’s participation in the European Peace Facility is very important and we look forward to the speedy progress of these negotiations. We also attach importance to the negotiations on visa liberalization and look forward to positive progress in this area as well. We attach great importance to the continued support of the EU and its Member States in the field of strengthening of democratic institutions in Armenia, human rights, rule of law, and considering the fact that these issues are included in the CEPA as an essential element of the agreement, we will continue to keep them in the focus of our attention.”
The participants of the event included representatives of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of power, representatives of the diplomatic corps and other international partners, members of pro-European political parties, and representatives of civil society structures.
