An Armenian delegation led by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan is participating in the sitting of the European People’s Party Group Bureau session that began yesterday in the Czech city of Karlovy Vary. The topics for the meeting include the challenges and perspectives of the Eastern Partnership, the Europe 2020 Strategy and the creation of jobs and the fight against organised crime, money laundering and gambling on a European level. Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, welcomed PM Tigran Sargsyan and Aleksander Milinkievich, 2006 Sakharov Prize Laureate and Leader of the Belarus Opposition. Mr. Daul noted that "the EPP Group supports a partnership with the Eastern countries and believes that such a partnership is based not only on business contacts but on cooperation in the areas of freedom, democracy, strengthening of the rule of law and cooperation in education or culture policy." The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek MEP, will take part in these discussions. Even in these times of global economic crisis, it is of paramount importance to maintain supportive relationships with anybody who shares the same values of human rights, rule of law and democracy upon which the EU is based." The EPP is the largest and most influential European-level political party of the centre-right, which currently includes 72 member-parties from 39 countries, the Presidents of the Commission, Council, and Parliament, 14 EU and 6 non-EU heads of state and government, 14 members of the European Commission and the largest Group in the European Parliament.