German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier considers the Armenian Parliament’s decision to start the process of joining the European Union a bold step, stressing that Berlin respects Yerevan’s decision.
The German President discussed the issue during his joint press conference with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, speaking about the deepening of relations between Armenia and the European Union, as well as the prospects of Yerevan’s dialogue with Brussels and further steps.
The German President emphasised that Berlin respects the decision of the Armenian Parliament to start joining the European Union.
“We respect this decision. It is a bold step. There is a lot of work to be done here to implement reforms, and we also talked about the need for reforms. My impression is that there is a realistic idea in Armenia that the road to the European Union is long,” Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
Speaking about Germany’s support in this issue, Steinmeier noted that Armenia and the EU are negotiating the signing of a new agenda document and reminded that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas will soon arrive in Armenia to hold talks on all these issues.
The German President stated that Armenia-EU relations should not be treated with scepticism, and their development will promote the development of Armenia’s economy.
On March 26 the National Assembly of Armenia adopted in the second reading the draft law “On Initiating the Accession Process of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union.”
The amended final wording of the draft defines: “The Republic of Armenia, in order to develop democratic institutions, improve the welfare of the society, strengthen the security, sustainability and rule of law of the country, announces the beginning of the accession process of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union.”
