YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–At a press conference on September 28–Head of the European Commission Delegation for Armenia Denis Corboy summed up the results of the EU activities in Armenia. The outgoing ambassador said that the EU has so far rendered aid to Armenia worth approximately $300 million.
Corboy stressed the importance of enforcing the Armenia-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. He reported that a council for cooperation will be convened in Luxembourg on October 12 to include Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian. In October a joint working group will discuss energy issues. The construction of a new hydro power plant in Armenia will be on the agenda as well.
Corboy also attached great importance to the recently signed nuclear power plant Safety Agreement. The ambassador said that the EU plans to allocate 10 million euro annually during the next seven years to ensure safety standards at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.
Saying that President Robert Kocharian had repeatedly declared Armenia’s desire to become a member of the EU–Corboy also touched upon EU’s eastward expansion plans–though–he made it clear that Armenia’s membership of the EU will not be on the agenda in the near future. The ambassador expressed satisfaction with the prospect of Armenia’s admission to the Council of Europe next year.