At a press conference held on May 10, the head of the European Union (EU) delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Vasilis Maragos, announced the continuation of discussions within the EU Council regarding the allocation of funds to Armenia from the European Peace Fund.
He was responding to a question about whether the EU had refused to provide assistance to Armenia in the field of security through the European Peace Fund due to a veto from Hungary, and whether the EU intends to make another attempt to initiate support for Armenia or is considering alternative support channels.
"During the EU Council meeting, we discussed how to support Armenia in the field of security and meet its needs. At the moment, EU member states have agreed to consider two options. Firstly, to provide non-lethal assistance through the European Peace Fund, and secondly, to increase the number of EU observer mission members. We are successfully carrying out the observer mission, and new observers are currently being deployed. As for the EU Peace Fund, discussions within the Council are ongoing," Maragos noted.
The EU ambassador also emphasized that it is still too early to discuss specific details of assistance.
In early April, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced a "new ambitious partnership program" between the EU and Armenia, including a plan under which Yerevan will receive 270 million euros in grants over four years "to make Armenia's economy and society more resilient and sustainable."
These funds are intended to support businesses, modernize and diversify markets. In addition, the President of the European Commission promised new investments in a number of infrastructure projects and improvements in relations with Georgia. EU-Armenia economic cooperation has already mobilized over half a billion euros in investments, von der Leyen reported.
