Reform progress
Start of bilateral development cooperation with Armenia
Armenia has made a great deal of reform progress in key areas in recent years – for instance in promoting democratic rights, transforming the election system, and with regard to media freedom and freedom of opinion, an independent judiciary and anti-corruption.
The country is committed to implementing its partnership agreement with the European Union (External link) and is actively involved in the Eastern Partnership (External link). This partnership is part of the European Neighbourhood Policy; through it, the EU works with its neighbours in eastern Europe and the southern Caucasus to jointly achieve the fullest possible political association and economic integration.
At the same time, Armenia is still facing tremendous challenges. In autumn 2020, the war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh shook Armenia to its foundations. In addition, the country is suffering from the economic and social fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. And not least, the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine has shown that Armenia’s close ties with Russia both economically and in terms of energy supply have resulted in a great unilateral dependence.
In these challenging times in which the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine is not only causing immense suffering in Ukraine but is also jeopardising the stability of the entire region, close cooperation with the reform-oriented countries of the Eastern Partnership is especially important. That is why the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has offered Armenia to start bilateral development cooperation. The aim is to actively assist Armenia in its ambitious reform efforts and support the country’s efforts to move closer to the EU.
The BMZ has been supporting Armenia since 1992 in its transition towards a social market economy, the rule of law and democracy. Cooperation has so far mainly taken place as part of regional programmes in the southern Caucasus region.
