PanARMENIAN.Net - Peace established with Azerbaijan creates an opportunity for Armenia to expand cooperation with the European Union, including in infrastructure projects, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in Strasbourg during a joint press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Responding to a question about expanding cooperation with the EU in the military sphere, Pashinyan noted that Armenia already cooperates with several EU countries in that field, Armenpress reported.
"We have military-technical cooperation with France, and we have already received support from the European Union twice through the European Peace Facility. In general, we cooperate with the EU in the regional context, and the recently established peace with Azerbaijan creates an opportunity for us to expand cooperation with the EU, including in infrastructure projects," Pashinyan said.
Continuing his response, the Armenian prime minister emphasized that security is often understood primarily in military terms - weapons, ammunition, the army, special services and operational actions - and Armenia itself lived within that perception for nearly 30 years.
"In Armenia, there is also much talk about security guarantees. For me, it is now obvious that the only guarantee of security is peace. There is no more reliable guarantee of security than peace," he said.
According to Pashinyan, the second layer of security guarantees is cooperation, including economic cooperation, interdependence, and mutual benefit.
"We do have military-technical cooperation with the United States and several European countries, which we never had before. Nevertheless, while understanding that the development of the army is very important and is not only the right but also the obligation of every sovereign country, our understanding of security is changing over time - moving from military toward political and diplomatic dimensions," the prime minister stressed.
He reiterated that greater emphasis should be placed on these factors.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Strasbourg from Paris, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech at the European Parliament.
Source: PanArmenian.Net
