Yerevan to host meeting of Eastern Partnership foreign ministers

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in the meeting of foreign ministers of European Union member states and Eastern Partnership states in Brussels on July 22. Among the meeting participants were High Representatives of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule, according to Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The participants discussed work done in preparation for the Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Vilnius in November.

In the words of Edward Nalbandian, since the Eastern Partnership summit held in Warsaw two years ago, significant progress has been made in a number of spheres, in particular, in negotiations on the Association Agreement and the Agreement on Visa Facilitation and Readmission.

He stressed the importance of cooperation within the framework of Eastern Partnership program for further promotion of reforms. Nalbandian stated that the recent reports of international structures indicate Armenia’s progress in such spheres as democracy, freedom of expression, human rights defense, the rule of law, and good governance.

The Armenian foreign minister said that in parallel with an informal meeting of foreign ministers of Eastern Partnership states to be held in Yerevan on September 12-13, a high-level meeting dedicated to education is also scheduled.