Statement delivered by the delegation of Armenia at the 1563rd meeting of the OSCE PC on the 8th Summit of the European Political Community and Armenia-EU Summit held in Yerevan on 4 and 5 May 2026

07 May, 2026

Mr. Chair,

We would like to inform the Permanent Council about the 8th Summit of the European Political Community, which took place in Yerevan on 4 May 2026 and the first-ever Armenia–European Union Summit on 5 May 2026.

Held under the motto “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe,” the EPC Summit brought together over 40 leaders from across Europe and beyond, alongside senior representatives of European Union institutions and international organizations. The meeting was co-chaired by Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and President of the European Council, António Costa. The Summit was convened in the South Caucasus for the first time, reaffirming the relevance of the region for dialogue on peace, stability, and cooperation in Europe.

As the host country, Armenia extends its appreciation to all participating States of the OSCE that took part in and contributed to the discussions. We also note with appreciation the participation of OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu.

Discussions in Yerevan focused on key strategic priorities for Europe, including security and stability, connectivity, sustainable economic development, energy, and the green transition, democratic resilience, and efforts to counter hybrid threats. Leaders emphasized the importance of open, integrated, and interconnected regions as a foundation for enhanced intercontinental links. Issues related to the consolidation of peace and stability were addressed, with a number of participants praising the current dynamics in the South Caucasus.

The Summit also marked important regional milestones. The Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye participated in the Summit in the first-ever visit at this level to Armenia. During the visit, a protocol on the implementation of joint restoration works on the historic Ani Bridge located on the Armenia–Türkiye border was signed by the Special Representatives for the Armenia–Türkiye normalization process, Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador Serdar Kılıç. In addition, several European leaders visited Armenia for the first time within the framework of the Summit. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev also participated in the EPC discussions online.

In this regard, the Summit was both historic for Armenia and significant as the first European event of this scale held in our region.

Mr. Chair,

We would also like to inform the Permanent Council about the Armenia–European Union Summit, held in Yerevan on 5 May, a day after the EPC meeting. Building on the Armenia–EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, in force since 2021, and the Strategic Agenda for the Armenia–EU Partnership adopted in 2025, this first-ever Summit marked an important milestone in further deepening Armenia–EU partnership.

The Summit concluded with the adoption of a Joint Declaration, which reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to building a deep and sustainable democracy, highlighted the strategic importance of Armenia-EU partnership and significant achievements recently registered to this end.

The Summit delivered a broad package of political, economic, connectivity, and security outcomes, including the Armenia–EU Connectivity Partnership, six Global Gateway investment letters of intent, the initialing of the Armenia–Frontex Working Arrangement on border management cooperation, an Administrative Arrangement on civil protection cooperation, the launch of negotiations on a Security of Information Agreement, and expanded cooperation with Europol, Eurojust, EuroHPC, cybersecurity, defence, and resilience initiatives.

Leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation in energy, mobility, transportation, trade, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and people-to-people ties, thereby establishing an ambitious framework for a long-term strategic partnership between Armenia and the European Union.

The Summits were followed by the 3rd edition of the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 under the theme “Riding Through the Storms” that gathered together senior government representatives, the private sector, NGOs, pundits, academia, youth, and other stakeholders to advance discussions on shared challenges facing Europe and its wider neighborhood, including on geopolitical issues, global connectivity, green transition, democratic resilience, hybrid threats, AI and others.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

MFA RA
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