Armenia, EU discuss education component of EU budget support program

ArmInfo. Minister of Education,  Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan and Minister of Finance  Vahe Hovhannisyan met with the Head of the European (EU) Delegation  to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, to discuss the education  component of the EU budget support program.

At the meeting, Minister Andreasyan emphasized the importance of  constant cooperation with the European Union in the context of  reforms in the field of education. She added that at the moment,  reforms in the field of general education and the introduction of a  new standard are being implemented with the support of the EU.

In turn, the Minister of Finance also emphasized the importance of  cooperation with the EU and expressed hope that mutual commitment to  further deepening interaction will give new impetus to the  implementation of current and upcoming initiatives.

Mr Hovhannisyan noted that reforms being implemented in various  fields, including in the field of education, and their implementation  are planned in the state budget, and various budgetary supports  complement them, contributing to the effective implementation of  work.

Mr Maragos, pointing to successful cooperation with Armenia,  expressed his readiness to join forces for its further development.

The Ambassador also highly appreciated the large-scale school  construction work carried out by the Armenian government, noting that  the European Union is also considering the possibility of supporting  Armenia in this process. In this context, Andreasyan said that the  ministry's budget for 2024 will record an unprecedented increase of  38% compared to the current year and amount to about 345 billion 417  million drams, of which 129 billion drams or 37.4 percent are  intended for capital expenditures.

During the meeting, it was noted that the budgetary support allocated  to Armenia will be constant, of which the share intended for the  education sector will be about 5 million euros.

The parties also touched upon support programs for those forcibly  displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, in particular, assessment of their  educational needs, priority steps implemented by the state, and  long-term solutions. Andreasyan pointed to the European Union's  continued support in meeting the needs of forcibly displaced people  from Nagorno-Karabakh.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed other issues of mutual  interest, expressing their readiness to make joint efforts to  increase the effectiveness of the current RA-EU cooperation.