Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with Samantha Power, Administrator of the US Agency for International Development, at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Belgium.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to cooperation between the government of the Republic of Armenia and USAID, current programs and upcoming initiatives. In particular, reference was made to USAID's further support for the effective implementation of democratic reforms and institutional reforms in various directions in Armenia.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the Armenian government will firmly continue consistent steps in the direction of reforms and emphasized that it is of strategic importance.

Samantha Power noted that USAID will continue close cooperation with Armenia and is ready to provide continuous support to the programs of the Armenian government for the strengthening and development of democracy.

The interlocutors referred to the humanitarian problems of forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno Karabakh and the steps towards their solution. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the measures implemented by the Armenian government and further steps. The Prime Minister attached importance to the support provided by international partners, including the United States, to forcibly displaced people and emphasized the need for its continuous provision.

In this context, issues related to the further steps of support to forcibly displaced persons, in particular, the issue of housing provision, were discussed.

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Prior to the high-level joint meeting of the Armenia-EU-USA in Brussels, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell made statements.

In his speech, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted.

”Dear President Von der Leyen,
Dear Secretary Blinken,
High representative Borel
Dear friends,

Thank you for convening this high-level meeting to reaffirm our collective commitment to sovereign, resilient, and prosperous Armenia. This event underscores Armenia's commitment to our shared values and the pursuit of more accountable and citizen-centred public institutions that deliver to its people.

Today’s high-level dialogue signifies Armenia’s expanding partnership with the United States and the European Union.

Despite facing multiple criseses, Armenia has made significant progress toward ensuring democracy. Expanding on the achieved progress, we will discuss Armenia’s efforts to strengthen the resilience of its democratic institutions. We firmly believe that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms underpin our cooperation. The Republic of Armenia reaffirms its commitment to advancing justice and public sector reforms to build a stronger, more secure, and advanced country.

Building on our fruitful political cooperation, it is high time we foster our economic collaboration, promote trade and look into expanding our partnership in mobility. We are determined to enhance the competitiveness of the Armenian private sector to expand to new markets. Further, we stand ready to improve our investment climate and make it more appealing to European and American companies. We expect our partners to assist us in modernizing Armenia’s quality infrastructure, bridge business networks, and explore potential trade facilitation schemes.

Promoting socio-economic inclusion and addressing the short and long-term needs of more than 100,000 forcibly displaced Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh is also of paramount importance. Our collective efforts should focus on empowering refugees to rebuild their lives with dignity through housing and economic activation policies.

I want to stress that we remain committed to the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan based on mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991. Armenia is also fully committed to the delimitation of borders based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and unblocking all regional communications based on full respect for countries’ sovereignty and jurisdiction and the principles of equality and reciprocity.

To achieve this objective, we have introduced the Crossroads of Peace Initiative, which aims to promote connectivity and dialogue with neighbouring countries and beyond. To enhance synergies in the wider region, we seek to integrate our initiative with the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy and expect the support of our partners in this regard.

Madam President,
Secretary Blinken,
High representative Borel

I believe that our shared vision of a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous future will continue to serve as the backbone and the guiding star of our mutually trusted relations.

Once again, thank you for fostering this dialogue and for your continued support to the Republic of Armenia".

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the EU promised to stand shoulder to shoulder with Armenia and today that promise is being fulfilled. "The vision of partnership with Armenia will be realized through the program to contribute to Armenia's resilience. We will invest in making the Armenian economy and society more robust and resistant to shocks." said the President of the European Commission, pointing out the 270 million euro grant, which will help especially small and medium-sized companies.

According to von der Leyen, the EU will invest especially in infrastructure projects in Armenia, particularly in the Black Sea electric cable project, as well as in the production of renewable energy.

Ursula von der Leyen saluted the "Crossroads of Peace" project of the Armenian government and noted that the EU will also explore cross-border transport when conditions allow.

The President of the European Commission spoke about the new support package, the European Economic and Investment Plan for Armenia. "It has already mobilized half a billion euros for investments. This is great news and we can do more. That's why we recently launched the Investment Coordination Platform to be able to identify new projects and speed up implementation," Von der Leyen said.

The President of the European Commission welcomed Armenia's efforts towards democratic reforms despite the challenges faced by the country and reaffirmed that the EU will continue to support the ongoing reforms through advice, technical support and funding.

Ursula Von der Leyen added that they do not forget about the plight of displaced people from Nagorno Karabakh. "The humanitarian situation of refugees in Armenia remains a priority. We have provided more than 30 million euros to support them and we are ready to do more," said President von der Leyen, expressing pleasure that they can count on the United States as a committed and like-minded partner in this effort.

"We will continue to work all together for the future of Armenia, in a stable and prosperous South Caucasus region," concluded the President of the European Commission.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell noted that the European Union wants to develop a positive agenda for Armenia and, by combining forces with the United States, show its strong commitment to Armenia's sovereignty, democracy and resilience.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US supports the "Crossroads of Peace" project initiated by the Republic of Armenia.

"We support the ideas, Mr. Prime Minister, that are at the heart of your "Crossroads of Peace" proposal. We see a more integrated South Caucasus with more transportation routes, energy cooperation, telecommunications. This will promote diversified economies, expanded opportunity and will bolster peace and reconciliation efforts," the Secretary of State said.

According to Antony Blinken, there is a strong future with a region that is increasingly integrated and that will benefit people and countries. "And the United States, the European Union want to help you build that," Blinken said, adding that he looks forward to a fruitful discussion.

Blinken thanked Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the partnership, noting that it is of great importance and creates a very solid foundation for what can be done together in the future.

"We are here to reaffirm Trans-Atlantic support for democratic, prosperous future for the Armenian people and a more integrated and a more peaceful South Caucasus region. We share the Armenian people’s vision for the future, we want Armenia to take its place as a strong, independent nation in peace with its neighbors, connected to the region and the world. The United States and the European Union both want to be partners in this effort. And today is the evidence of that," said Blinken, adding that it is necessary to harness this moment of the choice of the Armenian people and its leaders.

The Secretary of State noted that the USA is investing in efforts that are aligned with the Prime Minister’s governance and economic reforms.

"We plan to provide more than 65 million dollars in aid. This indicator is 50% more than that of 2 years ago. We intend to further increase our support for Armenia's democracy and economic stability by investing in food security, digital infrastructure, energy diversification, diversification of trading partners and other priorities set by the Prime Minister," Blinken emphasized.

Referring to the support of the forcibly displaced Armenian population from Nagorno Karabakh, the Secretary of State, in particular, noted: "We will continue to support 100 thousand ethnic Armenians displaced from Nagorno Karabakh. This is central to Armenia’s long-term stability and prosperity, as well as regional security. Regional integration is a key to security and prosperity for Armenia."

Josep Borrell reminded that two months ago he and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan decided to work on a new EU-Armenia partnership agenda and emphasized that the new agenda will provide an ambitious vision to promote bilateral cooperation in areas that are important for Armenia's resilience, mobility, trade diversification and connectivity.

Josep Borrell assured that these are not just words of support. "We welcome Armenia's efforts in the direction of democracy, the fight against corruption and the establishment of the rule of law. It will be important to continue the reforms to further increase the country's resilience. The EU will continue to support reform efforts through the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement," said the EU High Representative.

Borrell emphasized that a strong and stable Armenia means a stronger and more stable South Caucasus, which will benefit all the countries of the region.

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President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, met today, April 5, 2024 in Brussels to reaffirm support for Armenia’s sovereignty, democracy, territorial integrity, and socio-economic resilience.

The European Union and the United States support a stable, peaceful, secure, democratic, and prosperous future for Armenia and the region. In this context, we aim to expand cooperation to strengthen Armenia’s resilience, including in key sectors such political reforms, economic development and humanitarian support. We will look to expand our partnerships, for example, in mobility, governance, law enforcement, trade, connectivity, agriculture, energy, and technology. The European Union and the United States envisage stronger cooperation with Armenia to support these key sectors.

The European Union and the United States acknowledged the substantial progress Armenia has made since 2018 on democratic and justice reforms and the fight against corruption, and expressed a commitment to continue partnering with and supporting Armenia as it further strengthens its democracy and the rule of law, in line with our shared values and principles.

The EU will continue to support Armenia on its reform path through the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). In order to boost reforms and enhance cooperation in all areas, the EU and Armenia will make headway on the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda.

The United States is committed to helping Armenia and PM Pashinyan carry out envisioned reforms. The Biden Administration, working with the U.S. Congress, plans to provide over $65 million in fiscal year 2023 development assistance to Armenia.

The European Union and the United States welcomed Armenia’s commitment to improved connectivity with the outside world, including the Crossroads of Peace initiative, which would promote shared prosperity and regional economic and trade diversification.

The EU and the US intend to provide further assistance to help the country mitigate risks, diversify its trade, and strengthen its economic and institutional resilience.

To underpin the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda, the EU will put forward a EUR 270 million Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia for the period 2024-2027.

The EU’s Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia will aim at building up Armenia’s socio-economic resilience, while supporting trade diversification. It will contribute to the long-term needs of displaced people. It will strengthen sectoral cooperation with Armenia, while stepping up support to regulatory alignment to unlock the full potential of the CEPA. The EU will continue to support key sectors from trade diversification, infrastructure development, energy, to aviation safety.

President von der Leyen also referred to the benefits of the Economic and Investment Plan, launched in 2021, which already mobilized over EUR 550 million worth of investments through grants, blending and guarantees in Armenia. In line with the Economic and Investment Plan, the EU’s Resilience and Growth Plan will step up support to strategic investments, in particular on connectivity infrastructure in transport, digital and energy, and invest in business development to boost jobs and economic growth. The Economic and Investment Plan has the potential to deliver economic dividends of peace including on regional connectivity, if and when conditions allow. The EU will also look at ways to support mobility.

The United States is working with Armenia in multiple sectors to enhance economic growth and reform, trade diversification and resilience. The United States will work with Armenia to attract further U.S. investment, streamline technology trade opportunities, increase cybersecurity cooperation, and expand technology infrastructure. The United States is committed to Armenia’s safe, reliable, and secure energy future and is working to support energy diversification and explore the feasibility of new civil nuclear power options that prioritize the highest nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation standards. The United States is committed to enhancing Armenia’s food security as well as facilitating the flow of agricultural products across Armenia’s borders.

Recognizing the continuing challenges that Armenia faces in supporting and socially including over 100,000 displaced persons and refugees, the European Union and the United States intend to continue providing support to Armenia in its efforts to provide housing, training, employment opportunities and psycho-social support to those who need it, and to ensure the dignified living conditions of displaced persons.

The EU swiftly mobilised EUR 18 million in humanitarian support and EUR 15 million in budget support since September 2023 to respond to the emergency and socio-economic needs of refugees. This brings the total allocation of humanitarian aid to the affected population to EUR 38,4 million since 2020. The EU stands with Armenia in addressing and supporting the long-term needs of refugees. The EU’s Resilience and Growth Plan will also include budget support for the long-term economic and social inclusion of displaced people.

The United States has similarly announced more than $7 million in humanitarian support for displaced persons and refugees since September 2023. This funding brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance to nearly $31 million since September 2020. The U.S. assistance has provided life-saving food assistance, humanitarian protection, and emergency shelter and will continue to respond to the needs of the displaced persons and refugees. The United States will support Armenia’s efforts to minimize the strain on public services and infrastructure, and facilitate social cohesion and economic development.

A prosperous, sovereign, and democratic Armenia that develops its own partnerships and freely sets its own course will contribute to regional stability