EU-ARMENIA PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE MINUTES OF THE 10th MEETING 7-8 April 2009 YEREVAN CONTENT 1. Adoption of draft agenda (PE 412.704) 3 2. Adoption of the minutes of the 9th meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee held in Brussels on 29-30 January 2007 (PE 395.972) 3 3. State of play of the relations between the EU and Armenia within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, implementation of the ENP Action Plan 3 Opening Statements by: . Government of the Republic of Armenia . Presidency-in-Office of the Council of the European Union . European Commission 4. Follow-up of the final statement and recommendations of the 9th meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee adopted on 30 January 2007 (PE 379.371) 6 5. Political situation in Armenia 7 . consequences of the presidential elections on the social order in Armenia . respect for human rights including the rights of religious minorities, freedom of the media, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly . functioning of the judiciary and its role in the fight against corruption and organised crime . equal opportunities between men and women in Armenia 6. Economic and social affairs in Armenia and the EU 22 . macro-economic development and financial crisis management in Armenia and in the EU . poverty reduction and development of the labour market . functioning of the healthcare and education systems . situation in the penitentiary system . Armenian policy regarding protection of environment . EU-Armenia trade and economic relations . EU-Armenia cooperation in cultural, educational and other spheres 7. Regional issues 30 . the Nagorno Karabakh conflict after the Moscow Declaration of 2 November 2008 . relations with Turkey following the Turkish Stability Platform Initiative . consequences of the armed conflict between Georgia and Russia on Armenia . regional cooperation, namely in the BSEC framework, and relations with the neighbouring countries 8. Any other business 9. Adoption of recommendations 35 10. Date and place of next meeting Annex: List of attendance ________________ PV\EN.doc 1 PE 460.589 Mr. Adonts Let me welcome our guests from the European Parliament and EU Armenian Parliamentary Cooperation Committee. The 10th session will now be opened by welcome statement by Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, the Chairman of the National Assembly. Mr. Abrahamyan Dear Madame Co-Chairwoman, Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, guests, ladies and gentlemen, let me welcome you at the National Assembly. I am happy to say to our European friends welcome to Yerevan. This session is a commemorative one. In the last 10 years we’ve been together through a process full of accomplishments and our parliamentary dialogue significantly contributed to the development of our common agenda. In 2007 in the framework of the ENP, on the Action Plan was established diverse cooperation between Armenia and EU. Thanks to this action plan we registered progress both in terms of substance and forms of our cooperation. Let me mention one of the key accomplishments. European standards or criteria guide is the course of our reform. And now we should think of efficient implementation of mechanism for efficient implementation of European standards. The Eastern Partnership initiative opens up a new distance for Armenia. We have been carefully following all discussions around this initiative and we are satisfied with the results. Moreover, we are determined to take advantage of modernization opportunities offered in the framework of the Eastern Partnership initiative. I am happy that Eastern Partnership summit idea becomes a reality. It will allow us not to limit ourselves to cooperation between executive bodies only. I believe that it is useful that civil society representatives also participate in this Partnership and I believe that EuroNeast should also cooperate closely with OSCE and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. We expect that parliamentary structures of Europe in the Caucasus will be unbiased and neutral. We also expect that they work will be aimed at establishing mutual confidence and cooperation in the region. We are also hopeful that these structures will refrain from giving way to considerations other than the truth, as the truth about the rights and claims of this region is just one and it will remain such irrespective of if this truth is spoken in Armenia in Azerbaijan in Karabagh or in Europe. In 2008 Armenia faced new challenges. It took a test – how we are ready to cope with shocks, first the tragic events followed after the elections, thereafter the events round South Osetia and then the global crisis, the economic crisis, and Armenia’s authorities are trying to be flexible responding to these challenges and managing the process efficiently. In conclusion I would like to inform our European guests that today, on the 7th of April we celebrate the day of Holy Virgin and Motherhood and beauty. On this occasion let me congratulate you Mme. Isler Beguin and all women on the occasion of this beautiful holyday. In conclusion I would like to wish success to all our colleagues who will be running for the forthcoming parliamentary elections and hopefully we will have more opportunities to meet in future. Mr. Adonts Thank you, Mr. Abrahamyan, for joining us today at this opening ceremony. I would like to introduce the members of our delegation. Mr. Armen Rustamyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, member of parliament, Dashnaktsutjun faction, Mr. Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, representative of the Republican faction, Mr. Hovhanness Margaryan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Territorial Management and Local Self-Government, Rule of Law faction, Ms. Naira Zohrabyan, Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Prosperous Armenia faction, Mr. Karen Chshmarityan, ________________ PV\EN.doc 2 PE 460.589 Republican party faction member of parliament, member of the European Integration Committee, Mr. Gagik Melikyan, member of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Republican party, and Ms. Larissa Alaverdyan, Heritage faction, representative of opposition. Ms. Karine Kazinian will continue, deputy foreign minister of Armenia, Mr. Musheg Tovmassyan, deputy minister of economy, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ms Isler-Beguin Thank you very much for having introduced this large delegation. I want to greet all of the colleagues. This will be the last session of our PCC. As we all know, the European Parliament will be finishing its mandate in June. It has been committed to this region for 5 years. Many of my colleagues, such as Vice- President Mr. Arpad Duka-Zolyomi, have been accompanying me for 5 years across the South Caucasus, Mr. Calin Catalin Chirita, from Romania too. We’ll have to offer our apologies for Mr. Alessandro Battilocchio from Italy. There was an earthquake in Italy and he has had to stay at home because he is from the region close to the earthquake. We have Thomas Knothe with us today and he is responsible for managing the delegation. We also have a special advisor and all the diplomatic core of the European Union. I would like to thank them for being here, as well as the President Thomas Knothe representing the Presidency of the European Union. Also, as I said, the European Union will soon be speaking with a single voice and we already have a single voice. All member states, which sincerely hope on European level diplomacy which will be better equipped and that will allow establishing better support for our relations, for a European single voice, European parliaments will be able to provide diplomatic support for this work. Also I would like to thank the whole of the European Union and in fact the Council and the European Commission for being able to set up a Delegation in Yerevan. Mr. Adonts Thank you. There is just one thing I can add. After we had the welcoming statements when we had the coffee break, the journalists asked me what my expectations of this meeting are. I said that first of all I’m looking forward to opening and candid discussion and then the outcomes of this meeting will further contribute to Armenia-EU cooperation development. Let’s move on to the agenda, you all have it. If there are some comments or suggestions please feel free, if not please let’s adopt the agenda. The agenda is adopted. Thank you. We have to adopt the minutes of the ninth meeting of EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee held in Brussels. These minutes are distributed. If there are no suggestions, can we adopt them? Thank you. Agenda number three: State of the relations between the European Union and Armenia within the European Neighborhood Policy. I would like to give the floor to the deputy foreign minister Ms. Karine Kazinian. She will speak as the representative of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. Ms. Kazinian Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Armenia. First of all, I would like to welcome the PCC participants, to say welcome to Armenia to the European Parliamentarians and wish good luck with the work of the PCC. Cooperation with the European Union, and particularly the realization of the Neighborhood Action Plan, is the most important and the most dynamically developed direction of the foreign policy of Armenia. We can state at this point that the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the European Neighborhood Policy have stated and translated our wishes into a specific agenda for action and provided ________________ PV\EN.doc 3 PE 460.589 a basis for measures undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Armenia. An important fact is that we have always been ready to discuss issues openly with our European partners and all the priorities of the Action Plan such as human rights and rule of law.