The EU has pledged €1.5 million ($1.8 million) to independent Armenian media to support the country’s ‘information ecosystem’.
The announcement came as part of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Brussels on 14 July, where he met with EU Council President António Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
According to a joint press release published on Pashinyan’s website, Costa and Von der Leyen ‘welcomed Armenia’s ambitious reform agenda and expressed their support for Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic reforms’.
Pashinyan and the EU officials also ‘noted with satisfaction’ the progress made in the visa liberalisation process and Armenia’s adoption of its EU membership bill.
The EU also expressed support for Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative — a proposal to unblock transit routes in the region through Armenia.
According to the statement, the EU has also proposed working together with Armenia in addressing ‘a range of security concerns, including foreign information manipulation and interference, disinformation, and cyber threats’.
Following the meeting with Von der Leyen and Costa, Pashinyan met with the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Martha Kos, who similarly praised Armenia’s ‘ambitious reform agenda’.
They discussed the implementation of programmes funded by the EU, with Pashinyan highlighting the importance of the international community’s support in addressing the social problems of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to a statement about their meeting, Kos said she was planning to visit Armenia ‘in the near future to discuss joint programmes and initiatives in more detail’.
Yousef Bardouka
