The European Union’s two top officials on Tuesday pledged to continue deepening ties with Armenia but stopped short of promising the South Caucasus country’s eventual membership in the EU sought by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen heaped praise on Pashinian as they met him with in Yerevan for the first-ever EU-Armenia Summit.
“Armenia and the European Union are closer than ever,” von der Leyen said during the talks held the day after a separate European Political Community summit in the Armenian capital attended by dozens of other European leaders.
“Today’s summit marks an important milestone in the deepening of partnership between the European Union and Armenia,” Costa told an ensuing joint news conference.
He praised Pashinian for having “changed radically the conditions of your country” and hailed his “vision for the democratic, resilient and prosperous Armenia.”
“Prime Minister Pashinian, thank you once again for hosting us and for the spirit of cooperation of our discussions. We look forward to continuing this vital work together in the years ahead,” added Costa.
Remarks will likely reinforce the Armenian opposition’s perception of the European summits in Yerevan as EU endorsement of Pashinian of ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7. In a weekend statement, the Hayastan alliance, one of the main opposition election contenders, accused the EU of effectively meddling in “Armenia’s internal political processes.”
It alluded to the impending deployment in Armenia of two EU missions tasked with helping Yerevan cope with “hybrid threats” emanating from abroad, presumably Russia. Costa said on Tuesday that they will boost the Armenian authorities’ “crisis response capacities and contribute to the country’s long-term stability.” Opposition leaders claim, however, that the missions will be used by the authorities to legitimize possible election fraud or foul play.
Activists representing Hayastan and another opposition group, the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, staged small-scale protests during the summits. They accused the EU of turning a blind eye to what they see as Pashinian’s pre-election crackdown on the opposition for geopolitical considerations.
Amid mounting tensions with Russia, Pashinian’s administration has been seeking to reorient Armenia towards the West. It enacted last year a law declaring the “start of a process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union.” No EU member state or institution has officially voiced support for such a prospect.
In a joint declaration with Pashinian, Costa and von der Leyen took note of the law but did not encourage Yerevan to make a formal EU membership bid. They said only that the 27-nation bloc “acknowledges the European aspirations of the Armenian people.” Pashinian reiterated, meanwhile, that Yerevan’s “immediate objective is to conform to EU standards.”
“If they admit us to the EU, we will be happy with that,” he told the press. “If they don’t, we will still be in a beneficial position as Armenia will be a country meeting EU standards.”
Russia has repeatedly warned that Armenia will risk losing its vital tariff-free access to the Russian market and significant discount on the price of Russian natural if it keeps seeking EU membership. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly repeated those warnings when he met with Pashinian at the Kremlin on April 1.
Russia is Armenia’s number one trading partner, having accounted for 35.8 percent of its foreign trade last year, followed by China (12.3 percent) and the EU (11.7 percent). Armenian exports to Russia totaled nearly $3 billion in 2025.
The EU leaders were careful not to comment on the retaliatory measure implicitly threatened by Putin or openly accuse Moscow of posing “hybrid threats” to Armenia. Nor did they promise additional economic aid to the Armenian government. Von der Leyen mentioned a three-year aid program for Yerevan, worth 270 million euros ($315 million), launched by Brussels in 2024.
“Possible avenues for financial support beyond 2027 may be considered to further support the country’s reform agenda and closer alignment with the EU,” the joint declaration says in this regard.
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