S. Fule: Armenia won’t be able to initial Association Agreement

Armenia will continue close cooperation with the European Union - to such an extent that it will not contradict the decision to join the Customs Union, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told a press conference held in Yerevan today following an informal meeting of Eastern Partnership Program’s foreign ministers.

“I welcome our cooperation with the Eastern Partnership framework. It helped upgrade many spheres in our countries. We are grateful for successful cooperation and expect that it will continue,” Nalbandian stated.

European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule who also participated in the press conference said he is glad to visit Armenia again within a short time and at such a crucial moment.

According to Fule, he came to Armenia to understand what format further cooperation with Armenian partners may take and what directions the partners are interested in.

Asked by reporters to clarify whether Armenia may enter the Customs Union and at the same time sign the Association Agreement with the EU – without the agreement on a deep and comprehensive free trade area (DCFTA), Fule replied that this is impossible: Armenia will no longer be able to initial that agreement, even though it has worked on it for 3.5 years. In the Commissioner’s words, he came to Armenia to understand what expectations the Armenian partners place on the Vilnius summit.

Fule noted that Association Agreement and DCFTA is one treaty. You cannot separate one from another, he added. “I hope we together with Armenia will be able to work on another document,” Fule noted.

A reporter asked E. Nalbandian why Armenia chose the Customs Union, while in case of initialing the Association Agreement with the EU, considerable investments would be made in Armenia.

“Armenia has serious allied relations with Russia, which was evident during the September 3 meeting of two presidents in Moscow when deep and close ties were discussed. I want to state again that Armenia is ready co continue close cooperation with the EU, but not to the detriment of its relations with Russia,” Edward Nalbandian said.