Von der Leyen: Armenia’s connectivity important for Europe’s supply chains

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said that Armenia’s connectivity plays an important role for Europe’s supply chains.

Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the European Political Community Summit in Yerevan, Ursula von der Leyen pointed out the key topics that will be discussed at the summit: Europe’s independence, namely energy independence, defense and security, as well as reliable supply chains.

The EU leader noted that Europe is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. To reduce this dependency, she emphasized the importance of renewable energy and nuclear energy.

“We need to expand energy production capacities in Europe. These include renewable energy sources and nuclear energy, which allow us to produce energy domestically. They are cheaper and more reliable,” she said.

The President of the European Commission also highlighted defense and security issues.

“We need to strengthen our military capabilities so that we can defend ourselves,” she said, adding that funding is available and that it is now necessary to accelerate the production of military capabilities.

As a third topic of discussion, von der Leyen mentioned reliable supply chains, aimed at strengthening ties with countries that have free trade agreements. She highlighted Latin America, India, and Australia.

It is in this context that she mentioned Armenia’s importance for Europe’s supply chains.

She said that Armenia plays an “important” role, particularly in terms of connectivity between the South Caucasus and Central Asia.