This week, an Estonian delegation is in Armenia to meet with local partners and discuss their needs and possible new projects, the Estonian Center for International Development said on Monday.

Director General of the Department for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kairi Saar-Isop said Armenia has taken important domestic and foreign policy steps to move closer to the European Union and a democratic space of values. 

"Considering this, we are restarting development cooperation activities. One of the first steps is visiting Armenia with partners to create contacts and connections that would lead to effective projects," she said in a statement.

Estdev has allocated €28,000 for 11 projects which will kickstart cooperation.

Estonia has supported Armenia since 2001, and from 2006 to 2016, Armenia was considered a priority country.

Estonian development cooperation's main areas in Armenia are education, democracy, and good governance. There are also projects focused on poverty reduction, especially for women and children, and small business development and innovation.

Armenia's pivot to Europe started last year, after Russian peacekeepers failed to stop Azerbaijan's lightning offensive in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, RFE/RL reported.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Yerevan has frozen its membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization for its "failure to respond to the security challenges" facing Armenia.

Last week, the European Union agreed on a landmark €270 million plan to help pull Armenia out of Russia's orbit and support its economy in the face of growing tensions in the region, Politico Europe reported.

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