Yerevan is discussing the possibility of joining the European Union, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.
“The people of Armenia have European aspirations and, as I said, we are going through this process, we will see what its completion will be”, he said in an interview with Turkey’s TRT World TV channel.
According to Mirzoyan, Armenia is expanding the list of partners and allies, taking into account the challenges the country has faced in the past few years and the people have chosen a democratic path of development.
“We are deepening relations with the EU and the US, while maintaining traditional ties, or looking towards the East, for example. We are building relations with India”, Mirzoyan noted. He added that one of the priority areas is the settlement of relations with neighbors.
Earlier, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan said that the Armenian authorities are ready to take the course of European integration and intend to further strengthen relations with the European Union so that the country could become a candidate for membership in the association in the future.
In turn, Member of the European Parliament Andrius Kubilius called on the EU to develop a step-by-step strategy aimed at rapprochement with Armenia, up to granting the republic the status of a candidate for EU membership. According to Kubilius, since the country’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has turned the geopolitical course towards the EU, the association should consider Armenia as “a part of the European family”.
At the same time, the parliamentarian warned that these aspirations will arouse the anger of the Kremlin, which may try to affect the security and economy of the republic. “Therefore, Armenia needs strong security guarantees from the EU and Western democracy. Also, the EU should be ready to level the economic challenges that Russia may create”, Kubilius emphasized.
In October 2023, Pashinyan stated that “Armenia is ready to be as close to the EU as the EU deems it possible”. A Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement has been in force between the republic and the EU since March 2021. Under it, the Armenian authorities are committed to reforming the justice and police systems, the electoral code, intensifying the fight against corruption, making governance as accountable and transparent as possible, and bringing economic standards closer to European standards.
Since February 2023, an EU civilian mission has been operating in Armenia to resolve the conflict with Azerbaijan.
