EU Commissioner Tells Pashinyan Brussels Ready to Support Reforms in Armenia

YEREVAN (Sputnik) - European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said Tuesday during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that the European Union was ready to support reforms in the country.

"Good meeting #UNGA2018 w @armenia PM #Pashinyan. Assured him of continued #EU support to his country and its reforms. Key to move ahead w implementation of our new bilat Agreement #CEPA. Will also look how our aid portfolio can be even more targeted on most pressing reforms," Khan wrote on Twitter.

In November, the European Union and Armenia signed a new Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which set out a framework for the two sides to cooperate "for the benefit of the citizens of Armenia." The agreement covers political dialogue, economic and security spheres.

In early June, the European Commission announced that the CEPA came into effect on a preliminary basis. The deal has already been ratified by Armenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and the process of ratification by other EU member sates is ongoing. The accord will come into effect after it is ratified by all member states and several other EU procedures are completed.

Pashinyan became Armenian Prime Minister in early May following nationwide protests against his predecessor Serzh Sargsyan. During the protests, as well as after taking his post, Pashinyan has promised a range of political and economic changes in the country.