EU invested over 2.5 billion euros in Armenia connectivity projects, ambassador says

By Siranush Adamyan

The European Union has invested more than 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) in connectivity projects in Armenia, EU Ambassador to Armenia Vassilis Maragos said in an interview with CivilNet published last week, highlighting Brussels' growing economic role in the South Caucasus.

He added that investments under the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan, launched in 2021, amounted to nearly that figure. The funding includes EU grants, concessional loans to Armenia, and private sector investment, he said, describing private capital as essential for long-term sustainability.

Maragos said the EU was expanding its focus on transport, digital, and energy links, and that Armenia would hear more about the bloc’s connectivity agenda in the coming months.

“The EU is focusing a lot on connectivity,” he said, adding that discussions had included Armenia’s participation in the Middle Corridor, a trade route linking Europe and China through the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

He said the EU supported Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative, the government’s plan to reopen regional transport routes and deepen trade links with neighbors.

Among flagship projects, Maragos cited the new road between Yerevan and Gyumri, which he said was co-funded by the EU, as well as the Caucasus transmission network, a multi-partner infrastructure project.

He said the energy project would increase Armenia’s capacity to export electricity to Georgia and eventually onward through the Black Sea to European markets.

Maragos also pointed to the Sisian-Kajaran section of Armenia’s North-South corridor, saying the project would help bring the Syunik region closer to Yerevan and international markets.

The ambassador said geopolitical shifts had increased the strategic importance of the South Caucasus for the EU and other partners, expressing confidence that deeper cooperation would create better conditions for Armenians and the wider region.