The European Union has announced an additional €18 million ($20.5 million) in economic assistance for Armenia and moved to ease export rules for Armenian goods, as Brussels seeks to strengthen ties with the South Caucasus country amid growing Russian trade pressure.
The announcement came during a visit to Yerevan on Thursday by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The new €18 million disbursement forms part of a broader €52 million ($59.3 million) EU assistance package agreed earlier in June.
Brussels also said it would remove tariffs on nearly 80 per cent of Armenian exports to the EU, significantly improving access to the bloc’s market of around 450 million consumers.
Von der Leyen said the measures are intended to help Armenian businesses reach European markets faster and reduce economic pressure on the country.
“I know Armenia is still facing significant economic pressure from Russia,” she said. “But rest assured: when pressure mounts on our partners, the EU steps up.”
The move comes after Moscow imposed wide-ranging trade restrictions on Armenia ahead of a parliamentary election in June, in which the ruling Civil Contract party secured 49.8% of the vote.
Russian authorities accused Western actors of interference in the election, while also echoing claims from Armenian opposition groups regarding alleged voting irregularities.
The restrictions have affected several of Armenia’s key export sectors, including fresh produce, flowers, fish and alcoholic products.
Armenia remains part of a Russian-led economic bloc, and Russia accounted for roughly 35 per cent of the country’s foreign trade last year, compared with 11 per cent for the European Union.
The support for Armenia is part of a wider EU strategy to deepen engagement in the South Caucasus, a region where geopolitical competition has intensified.
During a separate visit to Baku on Wednesday, von der Leyen announced €200 million ($228.2 million) in EU grant funding aimed at strengthening transport, energy and digital connectivity across the region.
The initiative is intended to support long-term stability and improve relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan following decades of conflict between the two countries.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 21st of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 22nd of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
President Donald Trump said the United States will target Iran’s heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain site “pretty soon” as he meets with Lebanese president Michel Aoun. Meanwhile, U.S. forces carried out a 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran while Tehran continues to target Gulf countries.
Overnight U.S. strikes caused blackouts in southwestern Iran and hit the northwestern city of Tabriz for the first time. Separately, a U.S. soldier died in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone.
The United States has bombed Iran for an 11th consecutive night as the Pentagon says the war’s cost reach $37.5 billion. President Donald Trump threatens a heavy strike on the suspected Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. Tehran warns that any attack could trigger a wider regional escalation.
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Pakistan stepped up its economic engagement with the U.S. during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb's visit to Washington this week, holding talks on investment, development finance and access to international capital markets as Islamabad seeks to broaden its economic partnerships.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier have discussed regional developments, transport connectivity, energy cooperation and the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process during talks in Berlin.
Kazakhstan’s main oil export route has been disrupted after the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) suspended crude intake following drone attacks on tankers near its Black Sea terminal.
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