U.S., EU Pledge Over $350 Million Assistance to Armenia
The much-anticipated summit between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Council President Ursula von der Leyen took place in Brussels on Friday, with the U.S and the EU vowing to bolster what they called Armenia’s “resilience” by pledging more than $350 million in additional assistance to Armenia.
In an announcement issued following the meeting, the EU will allocate 270 million euros over the next four years, while the U.S. will provide $65 million in assistance packages to address humanitarian, economic and democracy-building efforts, including supporting Armenia’s territorial integrity.
Before the meeting, Blinken, von der Leyen and Pashinyan were joined by the EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell at a joint press conference.
“We’re delivering on a promise we made last October, the promise to stand shoulder to shoulder by Armenia, with Armenia – and at the same time the promise to set a vision for the future of our partnership. And this is what we are going to be discussing today,” von der Leyen said when welcoming her guests.
“This vision will be underpinned on the European Union side by a resilience and growth plan for Armenia – 270 million euros in grants over the next four years. We will invest in making the Armenian economy and society more robust and resistant to shocks. We will support your businesses, your talents, in particular your small and medium enterprises, so that we can help them to grow, to innovate, and to access new markets,” added the European Commission president.
She also pledged the EU’s investment in key infrastructure projects in Armenia in the energy and transportations sectors, including nuclear safety, aviation and traded diversification.
“I also welcome the measures that Armenia has taken against the circumvention of our sanctions against Russia, in particular to make sure that lethal equipment and technologies do not end up in the hands of Russian military. This shows that the European Union and Armenia are increasingly aligned in values and interests,” emphasized von der Leyen.
The European leader said that the EU is not forgetting “about the plight of the displaced Karabakh Armenians. The humanitarian situation of refugees in Armenia remains a priority. We have provided over 30 million euros in support of the refugees since last September, and we’re ready to do more to support the long-term integration of refugees.”
“Today’s high-level dialogue signifies Armenia’s expanded partnership with the United States and the European Union. Despite facing multiple crises, Armenia has made significant progress toward issuing democracy,” Pashinyan said during the joint press conference.
“Expanding on the achieved progress, we will discuss Armenians’ efforts to strengthen the resilience of its democratic institutions. We firmly believe that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms underpin our cooperation. The Republic of Armenia reaffirms its commitment to advances – advancing justice and public sector reforms to build a stronger, more secure, and advanced country,” the prime minister added.
“I want to stress that we remain committed to the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan based on mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991. Armenia is also fully committed to the delimitation of borders based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and unblocking all the regional communications based on full respect for countries’ sovereignty and jurisdiction, and the principles of equality and reciprocity,” Pashinyan said.
“We are here to reaffirm transatlantic support for a democratic, prosperous future for the Armenian people – and a more integrated and a more peaceful South Caucasus region. We share the Armenian peoples’ vision for the future,” Secretary Blinken said.
“We want Armenia to take its place as a strong, independent nation at peace with its neighbors, connected to the region and the world. The United States and the European Union both want to be partners in this effort, and I think today is evidence of that,” he added.
“We will continue to support the 100,000 ethnic Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. This is central to Armenia’s long-term stability and prosperity, as well as its regional security. And we’re supporting efforts to integrate people into the economy, into society, including via access to housing, jobs, education,” Blinken stated.
Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, said that Friday’s meeting was a continuation of efforts that began last fall, adding that the aim is to take the “partnership to the next level, together with our American friends, joining forces to demonstrate our strong commitment to Armenia’s sovereignty, democracy, and resilience.”
“We believe that a stronger, a more stable Armenia means a stronger, a more stable South Caucasus,” added Borrell.
He said that the steps taken by the EU and the U.S, “will increase the resilience of the Armenian society, and we have seen on the run-up to this meeting – we have seen how Armenia is increasingly targeted by foreign information manipulations and interference. And part of our commitment is to support you to tackle disinformation and to make people understand which is the right way of doing things, improving media literacy.”
Below is the text of the announcement.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, met today, April 5, 2024 in Brussels to reaffirm support for Armenia’s sovereignty, democracy, territorial integrity, and socio-economic resilience.
The European Union and the United States support a stable, peaceful, secure, democratic, and prosperous future for Armenia and the region. In this context, we aim to expand cooperation to strengthen Armenia’s resilience, including in key sectors such political reforms, economic development and humanitarian support. We will look to expand our partnerships, for example, in mobility, governance, law enforcement, trade, connectivity, agriculture, energy, and technology. The European Union and the United States envisage stronger cooperation with Armenia to support these key sectors.
The European Union and the United States acknowledged the substantial progress Armenia has made since 2018 on democratic and justice reforms and the fight against corruption, and expressed a commitment to continue partnering with and supporting Armenia as it further strengthens its democracy and the rule of law, in line with our shared values and principles.
The EU will continue to support Armenia on its reform path through the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). In order to boost reforms and enhance cooperation in all areas, the EU and Armenia will make headway on the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda.
The United States is committed to helping Armenia and Prime Minister Pashinyan carry out envisioned reforms. The Biden Administration, working with the U.S. Congress, plans to provide over $65 million in fiscal year 2023 development assistance to Armenia.
The European Union and the United States welcomed Armenia’s commitment to improved connectivity with the outside world, including the Crossroads of Peace initiative, which would promote shared prosperity and regional economic and trade diversification.
The EU and the US intend to provide further assistance to help the country mitigate risks, diversify its trade, and strengthen its economic and institutional resilience.
To underpin the new EU-Armenia Partnership Agenda, the EU will put forward a EUR 270 million Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia for the period 2024-2027.
The EU’s Resilience and Growth Plan for Armenia will aim at building up Armenia’s socio-economic resilience, while supporting trade diversification. It will contribute to the long-term needs of displaced people. It will strengthen sectoral cooperation with Armenia, while stepping up support to regulatory alignment to unlock the full potential of the CEPA. The EU will continue to support key sectors from trade diversification, infrastructure development, energy, to aviation safety.
President von der Leyen also referred to the benefits of the Economic and Investment Plan, launched in 2021, which already mobilized over EUR 550 million worth of investments through grants, blending and guarantees in Armenia. In line with the Economic and Investment Plan, the EU’s Resilience and Growth Plan will step up support to strategic investments, in particular on connectivity infrastructure in transport, digital and energy, and invest in business development to boost jobs and economic growth. The Economic and Investment Plan has the potential to deliver economic dividends of peace including on regional connectivity, if and when conditions allow.
The EU will also look at ways to support mobility.
The United States is working with Armenia in multiple sectors to enhance economic growth and reform, trade diversification and resilience. The United States will work with Armenia to attract further U.S. investment, streamline technology trade opportunities, increase cybersecurity cooperation, and expand technology infrastructure. The United States is committed to Armenia’s safe, reliable, and secure energy future and is working to support energy diversification and explore the feasibility of new civil nuclear power options that prioritize the highest nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation standards. The United States is committed to enhancing Armenia’s food security as well as facilitating the flow of agricultural products across Armenia’s borders.
Recognizing the continuing challenges that Armenia faces in supporting and socially including over 100,000 displaced persons and refugees, the European Union and the United States intend to continue providing support to Armenia in its efforts to provide housing, training, employment opportunities and psycho-social support to those who need it, and to ensure the dignified living conditions of displaced persons.
The EU swiftly mobilised EUR 18 million in humanitarian support and EUR 15 million in budget support since September 2023 to respond to the emergency and socio-economic needs of refugees. This brings the total allocation of humanitarian aid to the affected population to EUR 38,4 million since 2020. The EU stands with Armenia in addressing and supporting the long-term needs of refugees. The EU’s Resilience and Growth Plan will also include budget support for the long-term economic and social inclusion of displaced people.
The United States has similarly announced more than $7 million in humanitarian support for displaced persons and refugees since September 2023. This funding brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance to nearly $31 million since September 2020. The U.S. assistance has provided life-saving food assistance, humanitarian protection, and emergency shelter and will continue to respond to the needs of the displaced persons and refugees. The United States will support Armenia’s efforts to minimize the strain on public services and infrastructure, and facilitate social cohesion and economic development.
A prosperous, sovereign, and democratic Armenia that develops its own partnerships and freely sets its own course will contribute to regional stability.
