Republican Party of Armenia

 Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received Armenia-accredited ambassadors of EU-member States and embassy representatives, led by Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Petr Switalski.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of meetings held in the given format, which provide an opportunity to discuss agenda items and identify problems. Hovik Abrahamyan said Armenia is committed to continued cooperation with the European Union. According to the head of the Armenian government, the cooperation with the EU is primarily based on common values and the commitment to deepening and strengthening it in both multilateral and bilateral formats.

The Premier noted that the cooperation with the European Union was quite intense in 2015 as evidenced by the official launch of the new round of talks on December 7 in Brussels. Hovik Abrahamyan expressed the hope that a new framework agreement will have been signed by next yearend as a result of extensive discussions to reflect the scope and depth of bilateral relations and set new benchmarks for a mutually beneficial cooperation.

Thankful for the reception, Petr Switalski hailed the ongoing effective cooperation with the government of Armenia and line ministries. According to the Ambassador, this year was marked by a hectic schedule of activities aimed at the furtherance and deepening of EU-Armenia relations, including reciprocated top-level visits and the launch of negotiations on a new framework agreement.

Petr Switalski said the talks are going on in a constructive and friendly atmosphere, and cooperation agreements have already been reached in a number of areas, including on political and economic issues. Mr. Switalski expressed confidence that the coming year will stand out in terms of developing and deepening EU-Armenia cooperation.

During the exchange of views that followed, the parties discussed issues related to Armenia-EU interaction. Reference was made to the aforementioned EU-Armenia negotiations, the ongoing reforms, including the ones aimed at improving the business environment and promoting economic competition, as well as the adoption of a new electoral code and other issues.

The Prime Minister advised that the package of bills, developed with the European experts involved in Strengthening the Enforcement of Competition and State Aid Legislation in Armenia twinning program, have already been sent to National Assembly for ratification.

According to him, the bills have been amended to comply with EAEC regulations. The instances of anti-competitive arrangements, abuse of dominant position and unfair competition practices have been supplemented, with penalties envisaged against the officials of government agencies and business entities for breach of competition law.

Hovik Abrahamyan stressed that the development of economic competition and economic transparency is among his government’s top priorities and the Government will continue to be consistent in this matter.

Appreciating the Government’s efforts toward promoting economic competition, Ambassador Switalski expressed confidence that they might help improve the business environment, deepen EU-Armenia economic cooperation and attract new investment.

As for the new electoral code, the Prime Minister said work on the draft code will be complete during the first half-year of 2016. In this context, the Premier highlighted the need for closer cooperation with all political parties, civil society and international organizations.

During the meeting, the parties took the opportunity to discuss other matters of mutual interest.