EU membership could become Armenia’s next objective after meeting EU standards

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the European Union has long been Armenia’s number one partner in implementing democratic reforms.

Pashinyan made the remarks during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, responding to a journalist’s question on how he views the further deepening of Armenia-EU relations in light of the continued high-level political dialogue and the recently signed strategic partnership document, and whether this could affect Armenia’s balanced foreign policy.

“The European Union has long been Armenia’s number one partner in democratic reforms-indeed, even before the 2018 revolution. The question is how effectively and sincerely that agenda was implemented.

Following the elections, I believe this is also an important opportunity for us to restart Armenia’s democratic reform agenda. Throughout the previous period, we remained committed to this path, but it was constantly accompanied by major challenges-COVID, war, and the post-war situation. In practice, we have not had the opportunity to focus fully on a comprehensive democratic reform agenda.

The elections, this new phase, the new level and scope of our relations with the European Union have created a historic opportunity for us. We have clearly stated our strategy. Our first priority is to achieve full, sincere, and comprehensive compliance with European Union standards. This is the first strategic objective we must accomplish. Once that is achieved, the issue of becoming a full member of the European Union could become a concrete objective for implementation. That, however, is already a political question.

As I have said before, once we fully and genuinely meet European Union standards, we will have the opportunity to become a full member of the European Union. But this is also a political issue that depends on many different factors. If we succeed in becoming an EU member, it will be a major achievement. If, for some reason-for example, if the European Union decides not to enlarge any further-we will still have gained significantly, because we will be a country that fully meets European Union standards,” the prime minister said.

He added that this effort is not being undertaken for the European Union but for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and for Armenia itself, stressing that this is the strategic objective pursued by the Armenian authorities.

Pashinyan also referred to the new opportunities emerging with the opening of regional transport routes.

“During the election campaign, I repeatedly said that the Republic of Armenia is transforming from a deadlock of conflict into a Crossroads of Peace. This is a historic development, and we are grateful to the European Union for its consistent and unwavering support for the Republic of Armenia and its people in these efforts. We highly appreciate that support.

Looking back now, it is remarkable how rapidly relations between the Republic of Armenia and the European Union have developed over the past few years. There is no indication that this pace will slow, and I am very pleased about that,” Pashinyan concluded.