06 04 21 -ARMENIA-EU NEGOTIATIONS SECOND ROUND TO BE HELD IN EARLY MAY IN BRUSSELS AS PART OF ENLARGED EUROPE - NEW NEIGHBORS EU PROGRAM

YEREVAN, April 20. /ARKA/. The second round of Armenia-EU negotiations is to be held in the beginning of May in Brussels as part of Enlarged Europe - New Neighbors EU Program, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said at a news conference given Thursday after meeting with his Austrian counterpart Hans Winkler in Yerevan.
In his words, the program will give a new impetus to cooperation between Armenia and European Union and raise it to a new level. He said the program will pay special attention to democratic reforms in Armenia, especially taking into account parliamentary and Armenian presidential elections expected in 2007 and 2008. Oskanyan stressed that if the elections are conducted in wrong way, Armenia will loose not only moral, but also financial support from European institutions.
Austrian Foreign Secretary Hans Winkler, in turn, noted that the program adoption will lay proper groundwork for deepening cooperation between the countries. He also expressed hope that Armenian parliamentary and presidential elections will be up to European standards.
EU Three delegation headed by Austrian Foreign Secretary Hans Winkler arrived in Armenia on Thursday as part of his regional visit. The delegation is made up of Austrian and Finnish Ambassadors to Armenia, EU Special Envoy in South Caucasus as well as European Commission and European Union representatives.
The delegation members are set to meet Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Armneian National Assembly Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan in Yerevan. M.V. -0--
EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
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