President Serzh Sarkisian set up on Monday a high-level commission tasked with ensuring Armenia’s compliance with a landmark agreement signed with the European Union late last month.
The commission will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian and comprise the ministers of foreign affairs, finance, economic development and justice as well as nine other senior officials, among them an aide to Sarkisian and a deputy chief of the Armenian police.
A presidential decree said that the ad hoc body will approve reforms and other measures stemming from the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and monitor their implementation. It will also “coordinate” CEPA-related cooperation of Armenian government agencies with relevant EU institutions.
The commission will meet at least once in three months, according to the decree.
The CEPA was signed by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, in Brussels on November 24.
Mogherini said the agreement “will broaden the scope of our relations.” “It will now be important to implement it in full so it can deliver its full benefits,” she added at the ceremony attended by Sarkisian,
Under the 350-page deal, the Armenian government is to implement political reforms aimed at democratizing the country’s political system and boosting human rights protection. It must also gradually “approximate” Armenian economic laws and regulations to those of the EU. Yerevan will regularly report to Brussels on “the progress made with regard to approximation” specified by several annexes to the agreement.
Facebook Forum