Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is interviewed at the Euronews Summit in Brussels on Nov. 3

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday said that Armenia could formally apply to join the European Union in 2027 or 2028.

Pashinyan made the announcement in Brussels where he is taking part in the Euronews EU Enlangement summit. He called Armenia formally applying to join the EU in 2027 or 2028 “realistic.”

“Next year we can be realistic. 2028 can be realistic,” Pashinyan said. “We started the process which will bring us to the final decision to submit application for formal membership of European Union.”

In presenting his government program to the National Assembly in August, Pashinyan said that the application for EU membership will take place “in the near future.”

That statement, and Yerevan’s general shift toward the West, have widened tensions between Armenia and Russia, which has said that a referendum on whether Armenia will join the EU or remain in the Eurasian Economic Union must occur “as early as possible,” effectively giving a deadline for the end of the year for Pashinyan to hold such a vote.

Russia and other EEU member states published a report last month that clears the way for the economic bloc to suspend Armenia’s membership.

The report, posted on the Russian government’s website on October 20, says that that Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan “have the right to consider” such a measure because of a 2025 Armenian law that declares the start of a “process” of Armenia’s accession to the European Union. The law runs counter to the EEU’s founding treaty and other rules, it says.

Armenia’s foreign ministry said at the time that it was still reviewing the report.

Pashinyan said Tuesday that membership in EU was a strategic choice for Yerevan, aimed at protecting Armenia’s democracy.

“For our people, democracy isn’t a matter of circumstances. It is a strategic choice,” Pashinyan said. “The European Union was one of the main partners of the Republic of Armenia in the democratic reform agenda implementation.”

“Our first intention is to create an alternative for the people of Armenia and for the Republic of Armenia, because, traditionally, the perception of our society and maybe our neighborhood was that Armenia has no alternative,” he added, reiterating his long-held position that Armenia must diversify its political and economic relations.

When asked about recent Russian threats that Armenia could become the next Ukraine, Pashinyan dismissed the comparison and claimed that his government’s priority was to the safeguard Armenia’s independence.

“Our goal is to level up, to develop our independence. And that is a legitimate goal. Nobody could reduce Armenia’s aspiration to be a more independent, more integrated country,” Pashinyan continued.

Pashinyan also said that ultimately the choice would be made by the Armenian people. Until recently he was dismissing Russian demands for a referendum, saying the timing was not right since an application to join the EU had not been submitted. His announcement at the Euronews summit, seemingly, changes that timeline.

Pashinyan also said that Armenia will not be able to simultaneously maintain full membership in the EU and the EEU.

He noted that under the current rules, membership in both organizations is incompatible, and contradictions exist particularly in the area of customs regulation.

“At some point, Armenia will have to make a choice. Our task now is to create a real alternative so that people can make a decision by understanding what opportunities both paths offer,” Pashinyan said.