Yerevan/Mediamax/. President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso urged the Armenian Prime Minister to intensify reforms in trade sphere.

Mediamax reports that the President of the European Commission said this on March 15 after his meeting with Tigran Sargsian in Brussels.

“The relations between Armenia and the European Union are on the move. We discussed a range of these positive developments today. We are particularly pleased with the very good progress in the negotiations on the future Association Agreement. This ambitious treaty will bring our political and economic relationship to a new level and draw Armenia closer to the European Union. It will in particular include the negotiation of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, which will deepen Armenia’s economic integration with the European Union. I have therefore encouraged Prime Minister Sargsyan to intensify Armenia's efforts in the area of trade-related reforms. We need to see further progress on the institutional and administrative capacity and also in regulatory approximation, before we can launch negotiations on this free-trade area. After discussing the issue with the Prime Minister, I now understand that our Armenian friends believe that these reforms are also a priority for Armenia. It is in Armenia's own interest. They are crucial for a better business and investment climate”, President of the European Commission stated.

Jose Manuel Barroso stated that in this context, it is important that Armenia fully respects its WTO commitments.