EU pledges €200mln grants to Eastern Partnership membersMay 22, 2015 - 14:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The EU has agreed a €1.8bn ($2bn) loan to Ukraine - the largest financial deal with a non-EU member, BBC News reports. The agreement was signed at an EU summit in Riga, Latvia, which brings together the leaders of the 28-member bloc and six post-Soviet nations. The loan aims to help revive the cash-strapped economy of Ukraine, which has also been badly affected by fighting with pro-Russian rebels in the east. It requires Ukraine to adopt reforms, including anti-corruption measures. Ukraine's decision to scrap a deal on closer ties with the EU sparked protests that toppled the previous president and led to the confrontation in the east. In Riga, the EU also pledged €200mln grants to Ukraine and the other five Eastern Partnership members: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Moldova. Ukraine's economy continued its contraction in the first quarter of 2015, and Kiev faces huge bills to the country's international creditors in the coming months. More than 6,000 people have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine that began in April 2014 when rebels seized large parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Related links: Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life, Strong Mind IDBank and Idram summarize the results of the May program of “The Power of One Dram”. Yerevan State University, Ucom sign Memorandum of Cooperation Rector of Yerevan State University Hovhannes Hovhannisyan and General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian signed the memorandum. EU to provide budgetary support to Armenia The agreement is aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the educational system of Armenia. Aliyev: No peace treaty unless Armenia changes constitution Azerbaijan will not sign a peace treaty with Armenia unless the latter changes its constitution, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said. |