At the plenary session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan emphasized the importance of establishing peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He stated that the issue of detainees held in Azerbaijan remains a serious and unresolved humanitarian concern.
“Although the Declaration adopted in Washington on August 8 by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the participation of the U.S. President, and the pre-signing of the peace agreement signal that peace is already in place, several humanitarian issues remain unresolved. The issue of detainees and prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan is still a serious problem that must be addressed. Another major humanitarian priority is clarifying the fate of numerous missing persons,” Simonyan said.
Following the Washington meeting, Armenia will work with the United States and other mutually agreed third parties to implement the TRIPP initiative, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. This project aligns with Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace strategy to secure uninterrupted regional connectivity. TRIPP envisions the development of railways, highways, pipelines, power transmission lines, and communications infrastructure linking Armenia, Azerbaijan, and neighboring countries.
Simonyan called Euronest a vital platform for strengthening ties between the European Union and Eastern Partnership countries and noted that parliamentary cooperation with the EU, along with the Eastern Partnership, has significantly contributed to Armenia’s democratic reforms.
He also stressed that in recent years, Armenia-EU bilateral cooperation has seen unprecedented progress across nearly all areas, from political and economic partnerships to deeper collaboration in security and defense. Dialogue on visa liberalization is also advancing rapidly.
“Armenia remains committed to fully implementing the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. I am confident that the recently agreed ‘New Partnership Agenda’ will further consolidate emerging cooperation priorities.”
Simonyan noted that in March 2025, Armenia’s National Assembly passed a law to initiate the process of applying for EU membership. He described it as a civic initiative and welcomed the public’s strong engagement with the European integration agenda.
“In this context, I would also like to note that Armenia welcomes the EU’s new strategic approach to the Black Sea region,” he added.
Simonyan announced that Armenia has begun preparing to host the 8th summit of the European Political Community in Yerevan in May 2026. The country is also gearing up for another major event in fall 2026, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-17).
“Next year will be politically important for us as well, with parliamentary elections set for June 2026. I am confident that with the EU’s continued support for democratic reforms, we will conduct these elections successfully,” Simonyan concluded.
On August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration at the White House. Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov also pre-signed the peace and interstate relations agreement in their presence.
