Armenia has a long history of relations with the European Union. Back in 2016, Armenia and the EU signed the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. It, in essence, concerns the approximation of our systems and the introduction of standards. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this in an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI), answering the question of whether Armenia aims to join the European Union (EU).
"After 2018, we [i.e. Armenia] have continued to approximate relations with the European Union. In 2025, a law was even adopted on the start of the process of Armenia's accession to the European Union. That law was adopted by a civil initiative," the premier noted.
"One of the options is for the Republic of Armenia to become a member of the European Union. Why do I say ‘one of the options?’ Because the European Union has yet to make a decision on its enlargement policy. The desire of a country seeking membership or a state discussing this matter alone is not enough. Even today, there are different opinions in the European Union on whether it should be enlarged or not. Therefore, the answer to this question also depends on that,” Pashinyan said.
However, according to him, the strategic goal of Armenia and the Armenian people is to create alternatives.
“We have lived for a long time in an environment and conditions where the Republic of Armenia and its people did not have broad alternatives, including in foreign relations. Our task is to create these alternatives.
After all, any decision is made in a specific environment and conditions. Our goal in forming alternatives is one: the people of Armenia should be able to decide whether the country should remain a member of the Eurasian Economic Union [(EAEU)], become a member of the European Union, or be neither a member of the EU nor of the EAEU.
At the same time, we will in any case continue to reform the Republic of Armenia, bringing it into line with the standards of the European Union. If at some point Armenia is fully and objectively ready to become a member of the EU, in that case the question will again depend on two main subjects: will the European Union want to accept us? And will the people of Armenia vote in favor of that option?
Even if Armenia will be objectively ready, but does not become a member of the European Union, the country will still have won. In that case, we will have a state that fully complies with the standards of the European Union,” Nikol Pashinyan noted.