Wednesday, October 9 2019 15:22

ArmInfo.On October 9, <LivingSmart - Empowering Youth> forum  kicked off in Yerevan, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership.

As Armenian President Armen Sarkissian noted in his speech, Armenians  are a young nation with an ancient history. <Youth is not related to  age. Our youth lies in our thinking, and this, I hope, will lead us  to success. The future belongs to those who are young in soul>, he  emphasized, urging the young generation to live freely, develop their  own creativity and gain new knowledge.

The President compared Armenia to a startup that has great potential.  According to him, the EU can gain a lot through cooperation with  countries such as Armenia. "Our people are full of hope, enthusiasm  and faith in the future, and Europe can learn a lot from us," the  President said, adding that Armenia considers the EU as its partner.   Luc Pierre Devigne, Deputy Managing Director for Europe and Central  Asia European External Action Service - EEAS, praised the interaction  with the RA. "We are an important investor, which testifies to our  confidence in your future," he emphasized. According to him, within  the framework of the Eastern Partnership, tangible results were  achieved by facilitating the implementation of reforms in various  fields. At the same time, as Luc Pierre Devigne informed, the  implementation of initiatives that have demonstrated their success  (for example, the Erasmus + program aimed at supporting cooperation  in the field of education) will continue.

EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin  in her speech noted that  Armenia is moving towards serious reforms, and, for its part, the  European Union will continue to provide its assistance. "We are  pleased to cooperate with the Armenian authorities," she said, adding  that interaction with the EU opens up new opportunities for young  people, including in the field of education.  The Eastern Partnership  is a project of the European Union, with the main stated goal of  developing integration ties of the European Union with Armenia,  Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Azerbaijan.  Among the main  priorities of the reforms in the partner countries and their  cooperation with the EU are democracy, improving the governance  system and ensuring stability; economic integration; liberalization  of the visa regime and strengthening the fight against illegal  migration.