RA Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan delivered a video message at the 10th regular session of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly.
“I am happy for this opportunity to send a message about Armenia’s vision for the future of the Eastern Partnership. Although last year, when we hosted the Bureau and Standing Committees meetings of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan, the geopolitical situation was completely different. However, many of the EaP partners were already facing severe problems, which in turn caused complications in maintaining this format.
Today, our challenges are even more diverse; we are dealing with severe humanitarian crises where thousands of people may be cut off from the rest of the world. As you know, the most urgent problem facing us today is the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. Since December 12 of last year, a group of Azerbaijanis blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world. With this action, 120 thousand people in Nagorno-Karabakh were isolated. The situation in Lachin Corridor remains unchanged. It has been two months since the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have been under a de facto siege. Nearly eight weeks into the blockade, all essential commodities are in shortage.
Despite these challenges and uncertainties, we are convinced that in the context of the situation in the region, the imperative to strengthen the resilience of our countries and societies take on a new urgency. In this context, the Eastern Partnership and the 2020 agenda with the latter have a crucial role.
We also believe that in the case of Europe, security cannot be comprehensive without respect for democracy and human rights. In a world where democracy faces tough competition from dictatorship, very few countries are moving in the right direction. Armenia is on the list of those few countries. And this only happens with the support of the EU but on the contrary. Not only does the EU continue to be Armenia’s primary partner in supporting the institution-building and reform agenda, but also, in general, the Armenia-EU partnership is expanding in new directions.
In this context, participation in the Eastern Partnership also played an important positive role, particularly in promoting institutional reforms in Armenia, and significantly contributed to the democratic transformation of some EaP countries, especially Armenia. Considering the mentioned factors, we are convinced that the EAG format should continue to function; it should not be replaced by any other initiative or limit the possibility of engaging in different forms.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express our gratitude to the European Parliament for all clear statements and resolutions regarding Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and to the European Union for its decision to deploy an EU civilian mission to Armenia. The task can play an essential role in strengthening human security on the ground and continue to contribute to the stabilization of the overall situation.”
