Invest in EU
Dec 1 2012
Speech by President Barroso: “European Union and Armenia: promoting
our common values and forging stronger ties”
Mr Chairman,
Distinguished guests,
Ambassadors,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
First of all, thank you for your kind words of welcome.
It is a pleasure to be here in Yerevan and in particular to be able to
meet representatives of civil society, students and scholars. It is
also an honour to be able to do so in such a venue: the national
manuscript museum, the repository of so much of your national history
and culture: a history and culture with so important links with other
parts of Europe, links which are in fact stronger and older than is
commonly believed.
The influence of personalities such as Aram Khachaturian, one of the
great composers of the XXth century, or Arshile Gorky, a seminal
figure in abstract expressionism, just to name a few, has indeed
enriched not only Europe’s, but also the world’s, culture.
Armenian history has many tales of long difficult journeys and your
country is currently embarked on another epic journey. Reform is never
easy, in particular in these difficult global economic times. For
reforms to succeed requires not just the will of the government but
the support and hard work of the population at large, and civil
society organisations play a vital role. And this is why it is so
important for me to have this opportunity to address you directly here
today.
Civil society acts as an advocate of the reform process, informing
public opinion and mobilising the support of citizens; as a monitor of
the progress made by government, calling them to account when they do
not meet their objectives or the standards which you expect, and civil
society also provides expertise, to help both government and your
fellow citizens move forward with reforms, for example, on human
rights or environmental standards.
This reform process is yours; it must be driven from within the
country and owned by the people. But it is a process which we in the
European Union wish to help and support. My visit here is one more
sign of the importance which we in the European Union attach to
Armenia as a country and to our Eastern neighbourhood as a whole.
Civil society plays a crucial role in this process and I take this
occasion to salute the 4th annual meeting of the Eastern Partnership
Civil Society Forum which has just taken place in Stockholm. I know
that the Armenian national platform members have made a strong
contribution to this important debate.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Before I speak in more detail about the European Union’s deepening
relationship with Armenia, let me say a few words about the basis of
this relationship: our common values.
The European Union is a union based on values, values shared by all
the member states and by our 500 million citizens. The values of
democracy, respect for human rights, the rule of law, freedom,
including, naturally, the freedom of expression. Some of these values
are codified, for example in the European Charter of Fundamental
Rights or European Union legislation. Others are deeply woven into the
fabric of our societies.
It is, therefore, natural that the values on which the European Union
is founded are also at the heart of our co-operation with third
countries and are a central piece of the Eastern Partnership.
But what does this mean in practice?
First and foremost, it means that the European Union is especially
motivated to work with Armenians to support Armenia’s democratic
development. And the foundation stone of a democratic process is free,
fair and transparent elections. In this respect the EU welcomes the
Armenian authorities’ efforts to deliver elections with a more
transparent and competitive character. But, at the same time a number
of issues still need to be addressed to ensure Armenia fulfils its
democratic potential.
The Presidential elections next year will put these to the test. In
particular we need to see that the recommendations identified by
OSCE/ODIHR are addressed in good time before the elections. But
democracy goes well beyond election day. It is built every day in a
number of different areas.
For instance, it is built by respect for the rule of law, reform of
the judiciary and the fight against corruption. Such reforms are above
all in the interest of every Armenian and will have a positive impact
on people’s day to day lives.
But they also mean that Armenia will be able to benefit from the
European Union’s doctrine of `more for more’ in terms of our
cooperation – put simply: the more reforms you carry out, the more the
EU will be able to support the Republic of Armenia.
I do not just mean financial support, although Armenia has already
gained an additional 15 million Euro in resources through the Eastern
Partnership Integration and Coordination programme. But the benefits
go far beyond this. For example, work on the reform agenda has meant
that the European Union and Armenia have been able to conclude visa
facilitation and re-admission agreements. We expect these to be signed
by the end of the year thereby allowing easier travel to the European
Union for Armenian citizens from 2013.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are not stopping here.
Negotiations are underway for an Association Agreement, including a
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, between the European Union and
Armenia.
At its core, this Association is about sharing our values. It leads to
a process of modernising Armenia through bringing your standards, laws
and norms closer to those of the European Union and in deepening our
co-operation on the world stage.
This process will support political, social and economic reform in
Armenia. The DCFTA is an important element in this and will bring
Armenia to Europe’s single market, which is the biggest integrated
market in the world by value. The DCFTA is, so to speak, a quality
mark: a sign that the Armenian economy meets certain standards.
Experience elsewhere has shown that this opens the door to trade; to
much needed foreign investment and to job creation.
Of course there is a major role for civil society in all of this work.
The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum already helps us monitor
implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy. I hope this role
will expand – we are discussing with Armenia the possibility of
replacing the ENP Action Plan with an `Association Agenda’ – a more
focused tool which will prepare the road for the implementation of our
new Agreement. Civil Society will be kept informed of this process and
I am sure it will play an important role.
Our support to civil society has also a financial dimension. We have
developed a new instrument – the Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility
– to provide additional grant support and encourage concrete actions
from civil society in support of the European Neighbourhood Policy and
Eastern Partnership objectives. We also hope that our support to NGOs
will continue through the European Initiative for Democracy and Human
Rights and through our thematic programmes for non-state actors, as
well as other EU instruments.
But beyond the instruments what is important to note here is the
political will – the political commitment to work together with your
country. We believe that Armenia is a European country, that you
belong to the European family of nations and that we have everything
to gain from working even closer.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me at this point say a few words about regional stability and
conflict resolution. These are issues that we cannot ignore and which
need to be addressed to allow Armenia and its neighbours to achieve
their full potential. Aside from the personal tragedy of conflicts,
the physical closure of borders brings obvious and significant
economic risks – it holds back much-needed growth and revenue.
Progress on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains
one of the top priorities in our Neighbourhood.
I understand the difficulties and complexities of such work but we
should all acknowledge that the ultimate benefits that peace brings
far outweigh these difficulties. Some think that the conflict is
frozen and that there is no possible solution to it. Though the task
may be difficult, I believe that peace is possible. It is not only
possible, indeed it is necessary. And the work of the politicians is
to turn the necessary into reality; to make the necessary possible. We
call therefore on the parties to remain committed to the Minsk Group
process by words and deeds, and to return to the discussion of
substantial issues. It is also important to exercise restraint in
their statements and actions, so as to not to put at risk the existing
format and the basic principles.
The European project was also built on the ashes of a terrible war and
through reconciliation of former enemies. What we have achieved today
would be simply unthinkable for our grandfathers who lived and
sometimes died in the tragic years of the war. This project of peace,
democracy and reconciliation was recently recognised by the Nobel
Committee which has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the European
Union. And this this example, I believe, can serve as an inspiration
for all those in the world that are working for concrete developments
in favour of peace.
The European Union remains ready to provide enhanced support for
confidence building measures, in full complementarity with, the Minsk
Group. We have adopted in June a new programme under the Instrument
for Stability in order precisely to support the peaceful settlement of
the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. We have already the principles for
this Agreement as agreed in Madrid, what it takes is political courage
to implement them.
Distinguished guests,
I have briefly set out a vision as to how closer co-operation between
the European Union and Armenia will benefit both sides. I know that
within Armenia there is an open, active debate on how best to balance
your country’s relations with its strategic neighbours.
Ultimately, how you manage your international relations is your choice
and your choice alone. We are happy that the policy of the government
is to “get as close to the European Union as the European Union will
let us”. In terms of sharing our values, of being a part of our
internal market we want you to be very close indeed.
This will take hard work and civil society will have an important role
to play. Together I am certain that, here today surrounded by the
manuscripts which chronicle the history of your country, we are
setting out to write a new page in that history.
I thank you for your attention.
01 December 2012
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From: Baghdasarian
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