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Armenia, EU not to initial association agreement

The sides agreed on the need to update the EU-Armenia ENP Action Plan

VILNIUS, November 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Armenia and the European Union will not initial an association agreement because the South Caucasian state has taken on new international commitments, reads a joint statement of Armenia and the EU adopted on Friday.

“The EU and Armenia acknowledge that they have completed negotiations on an Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, but will not proceed with its initialing due to Armenia's new international commitments. They agree on the need to update the EU-Armenia ENP Action Plan,” the document says.

The commitments include Yerevan’s decision voiced by President Serzh Sargsyan to join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and to enter the Eurasian common economic space.

“The EU and Armenia enjoy close links and reconfirm their commitment to further develop and strengthen comprehensive cooperation in all areas of mutual interest within the Eastern Partnership framework,” the statement said.

“Based on common values, both sides are committed to further cooperation aimed at the continuous improvement of democratic institutions and judiciary, the promotion of human rights and rule of law, good governance, the fight against corruption, the strengthening the civil society, the further improvement of the framework for enhanced trade and investments, the continued implementation of the mobility partnership and increased sectoral cooperation,” it reads.

Along with this, “based on their common endeavor to build upon the existing framework of cooperation, the EU and Armenia stress the importance of revisiting the basis for their relations,” the joint statement between Armenia and the European Union says.