News - Friends of Armenia Network report: Offering Armenia EU candidate status would be important signal

Launching an EU-Armenia dialogue on visa liberalization would be an important step to deepening relations. This is noted in a report by the Friends of Armenia Network, a high-level group launched in 2023 by former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Armenpress reported. According to the co-authors of the report, the visa liberalization will bring significant change to the people of Armenia, as increased people-to-people contacts are important. As per this report, the EU should indicate that it is ready to offer Armenia candidate status, which would be an important signal. “It is important to ensure that the Armenian state continues its mission. It is essential to ensure that the Armenian state continues to deliver for the Armenian people in terms of economic growth, healthcare, the rule of law, human rights, and democracy. The EU aid should focus on the changes that people can see and feel,” also reads the report. Touching upon food security, the authors of the report mention that the EU should subsidize the import of basic food products to Armenia. In parallel, the EU should assist Yerevan in developing a more sustainable and cost-effective domestic production of wheat and other critical agricultural products.   The report states that to further deepen and strengthen EU-Armenia relations, it is important to focus on the energy sector. It suggests inviting Armenia to become a member of the European Energy Community and aiding Armenia in accelerating its green transformation, as well as diversifying its energy imports and sources.