The European Union will speed up the talks on conclusion of an Association Agreement with Armenia.
“The European Union will deepen relations with all countries which are interested in signing an agreement on free trade area and relaxation of visa regime. A subcommittee on legal issues will be formed to that end,” said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency.
“Armenia and the EU are developing relations within the Eastern Partnership initiative and we were glad to know about the upcoming visit of the Armenian President to Brussels,” he said during a joint news conference with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
Touching upon regional issues, Mr. Moratinos said the European Union will continue efforts for resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. As to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement, he said the Protocols on normalization of relations between the two countries should be ratified “without preconditions in the shortest terms”.
Minister Nalbandian, for his part, remarked that using the language of preconditions, Turkey hampers the reconciliation process.
Commenting on the Karabakh conflict settlement, he reminded about Azerbaijan’s warlike statements and unwillingness to withdraw snipers from the frontline. “Yerevan and Baku regularly submit proposals on the conflict resolution to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” he said.
The Minister also referred to the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait and Baku, saying that the perpetrators of the massacre will be sooner or later called to account.
