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The European Parliament approved on Wednesday the enlarged EU-Armenia Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
MEPs supported the agreement with 573 votes in favor, 50 against and 45 abstentions, according to the EP's official website.
MEPs also adopted the accompanying resolution on EU-Armenia relations with 598 votes in favor, 52 against and 27 abstentions.
CEPA negotiations were launched in 2015 and concluded in 2017. The agreement was subsequently signed by both parties on the sidelines of the Eastern European Partnership Summit in November 2017.
Final agreement marks a deepening of the political dialogue between the EU and Armenia, broadening the scope of economic cooperation and offering new opportunities for rapprochement in the fields of energy, transport and infrastructure , the environment, trade, education and other
the independence of the judiciary, the fight against corruption, money laundering, l & # 39; tax evasion and abusive oligarchic control and media freedom. MEPs regret that the agreement can not include the removal of tariff barriers, due to the accession of Armenia to the Eurasian Economic Union. . However, they stress that this does not prevent the EU from being the main trading partner and largest donor of Armenia, thus demonstrating that the EU does not expect not that its partners favor deeper relations with the EU at the expense of their relations with third parties. They also ask the Commission to ensure that EU aid to Armenia is not directed to the areas affected by Russian sanctions in the EU.
Members applaud Armenian citizens over the recent peaceful transition of power and welcome the restraint of law enforcement authorities, although some unjustified arrests of peaceful protesters raise concerns. They congratulate Nikol Pashinyan on his election as the new Prime Minister of Armenia and look forward to increased cooperation.
"This final vote in the European Parliament sends a strong message of support to Armenian citizens.The EU stands ready to support the reform efforts undertaken by the new government.We encourage them to continue the fight against corruption and to reform the electoral framework, in line with the recommendations of the OSCE / ODIHR and the Venice Commission, "said EP rapporteur László TŐKÉS (EPP, HU). id) {
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