| After the break up of the Soviet Union the European Union (EU) took an important step of enhancing its presence in South Caucasus region by establishing relations with three former Soviet republics and including them in the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). At the General Affairs Council of February 2001, the EU confirmed its willingness to play a more active political role in the South Caucasus region and its intention to look for further ways in which to support efforts at prevention and resolution of conflicts in the region and to participate in post-conflict rehabilitation. This opportunity should be used by the government of the Republic of Armenia as it continuously declared that one of its main foreign policy targets is the progressive integration into EU bodies and structures.;This paper describes relatively short history of relations between the European Union and the Republic of Armenia by examining the current state and mutual expectations, as well as issues which are crucial to those relations in the future. The most important events that have shaped the relations between the new neighbors over the past decade are presented. Finally, the issues that can and have yet to be solved by the Armenian government are outlined with the political and economic aid of the EU, most notably the advancement of human rights and democratic governance and the prevention and settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict. The study of the relations between RA and Europe is conducted in the context of relations with such countries as the USA and Russia, which have a key role and their own interests in the region.;Based on the research it can be concluded that although through the ENP the EU-Armenia relations have a lot of potential for widening and deepening in the near future, for acquiring its final goal, the accession to the EU as a full member, Armenia has to take a long and difficult path by overcoming many obstacles on its way towards the integration. |
