RFE/RL: Armenia-EU talks have nothing to do with membership candidacy opportunities, Peter Stano says

Armenia-EU negotiations have nothing to do with membership candidacy opportunities. This was stated by Peter Stano, Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Commission of the European Union (EU), in an interview with the RFE/RL Armenian Service.

The EU-Armenia partnership agenda is actually an update that was agreed with Armenia in February. At that time, they agreed that they would be more ambitious and renew the existing agreement. They have already started negotiating the EU-Armenia partnership agenda, and this is exactly the update that will expand EU-Armenia cooperation in all domains of mutual interest because one of the EU’s principles for developing relations with partners is to respond to the partner’s ambitions. If the EU sees, as in the case of Armenia, that there is a willingness to do more in more domains, to cooperate more deeply and intensively, the EU responds to it, Stano said.

So now they are negotiating an agenda for this partnership to see how far the EU’s partners are willing to go, how far they are willing to go, and align with the EU’s goals, he added.

And this is very important because this shows that the two parties are getting closer, that they want to do more together, based on European principles and values, of course, and based on political reforms, economic reforms, and mutual cooperation, Stano said.

This new partnership agenda actually has nothing to do with Armenia’s potential membership candidacy process. The negotiations on the EU-Armenia partnership agenda reflect the mutual desire and will of both sides to do more together—but based on the current relationship. And the current relationship is defined by EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, concluded the lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy of the EU European Commission.