The EU’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Toivo Klaar, was in Yerevan yesterday to meet with the Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and other senior government figures.
According to the Armenian readout, Klaar and Pashnyan discussed the continued development of Armenia-EU relations, with the PM stressing that democratic reforms continue to be among the priorities of the government, adding that Armenia’s commitment to the process of democratic reforms was inviolable. The sides also touched upon the economic aspect of relations, namely the process of implementing the EU’s €2.6 billion investment package. They also discussed the security situation in the region since the end of the 44-day war, as well as the steps taken to defuse the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
The Armenian statement adds that Pashinyan praised the efforts of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in strengthening mutual understanding and stability in the region. Pashinyan and the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev, met via videoconference on 4 February in a meeting mediated by Michel and the French president, Emmanuel Macron. The UNESCO mission which was agreed upon as a result of that meeting was also discussed, including “the threatening statements made by Azerbaijan against the Armenian cultural heritage and the steps already taken to destroy a number of Armenian monuments”.
Finally, the sides called for the resumption of the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship.
Klaar also held meetings with other senior government officials, such as the Armenian minister of Defence, Suren Papikyan, and the minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan. During his meeting with Papikyan, Klaar noted that the EU would keep working in the humanitarian sphere, in particular in continuing to assist the return of Armenian servicemen held by Azerbaijan.
Tweeting later in the day, Klaar said that he had had substantial meetings to follow up on EU engagement, take stock of developments and discuss next steps.