The event, during which Pashinian answered questions from experts, followed his participation in the 9^th European Political Community summit in the Irish capital, which brought together leaders and senior representatives from more than four dozen countries of the continent.

Pashinian stressed that his government’s primary political goal has been to give Armenians an alternative to the long-held perception that the South Caucasus nation has no choice but to remain in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

Asked to describe his vision for Armenia two decades from now, Pashinian replied: “I see Armenia as part of the European Union.”

He acknowledged that Armenia cannot simultaneously hold membership in both the EEU and the EU, but reiterated that offering a viable alternative to the EEU has been a central political objective.

“For a long time, the perception was that Armenia had no alternative. One of the EEU leaders even publicly stated that Armenia had nowhere else to go except the EEU. And that statement triggered certain political processes,” he said, referring to 2022 remarks by Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka that sparked widespread outrage in Armenia.

Tensions between Yerevan and Moscow have escalated amid Armenia’s push for closer ties with the EU and its deepening rift with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance of six post-Soviet states.

Armenia suspended its participation in the CSTO in February 2024, accusing the bloc of failing to honor its security commitments following Azerbaijan’s military aggression and occupation of swaths of sovereign Armenian territory a year and a half earlier.

On November 11, the CSTO responded by suspending Armenia’s voting rights over Yerevan’s failure to pay membership fees for two years.

Earlier, on May 29, the leaders of Russia and the EEU’s three other member states – Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan – jointly called on Armenia to hold a referendum as soon as possible on whether to join the EU or remain in the EEU.

Pashinian has dismissed the idea of holding such a referendum for the time being, arguing there are currently no grounds for it. He noted that a vote could take place only after Armenia formally applies for EU membership, describing the choice as theoretical at this stage.

The diplomatic friction has coincided with mounting economic pressure from Moscow. Beginning in late April, Russian regulatory authorities began imposing sweeping import restrictions on key Armenian exports, including mineral water, brandy, wine, cut flowers, fruits, vegetables, fish, dairy products and others, citing sanitary and labeling violations.

Russian officials have also warned that Armenia’s continued push toward EU integration could lead to the termination of preferential energy agreements, forcing Yerevan to purchase Russian natural gas at market prices rather than at its current discounted rate.

Speaking in Dublin, the Armenian prime minister said he would travel to Russia for talks three times in December – on December 3, 11 and 22, expressing a hope that the two countries can maintain amicable ties.

“I hope we will be able to preserve a friendly atmosphere in our relations with Russia,” he said.

Pashinian also addressed the current state of Armenia’s relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, describing the current moment as a historic opportunity to normalize ties with both neighbors. He said Yerevan is very close to establishing diplomatic relations with Ankara and reopening their shared border, which has remained closed for more than three decades.

Pashinian noted he had a “very positive” meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on November 11, during which both sides acknowledged progress toward normalization.

“We are very close to the final step – the establishment of diplomatic relations and the full opening of the borders,” he said.

Armenia and Turkey agreed in 2021 to pursue normalization of their relations without preconditions, though Ankara has consistently linked the process to progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.

In 2022, the two sides agreed to open the border to third-country nationals and diplomatic passport holders, an arrangement that has yet to be implemented. Still, Armenian officials have recently voiced growing optimism about the reopening of the frontier.

Pashinian also expressed confidence that Armenia and Azerbaijan have a realistic chance to achieve lasting peace following his latest meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dublin on November 12.

“Changing the entire course of history is very difficult. Along the way, we will inevitably face international and domestic challenges, psychological difficulties, and issues related to our history will emerge, among other things. However, I can now say unequivocally that stable, long-term and reliable peace is already within our reach. We simply need to seize this opportunity,” the prime minister said, describing the realization of this “historic chance” as his personal mission.

Pashinian added that normalizing relations with neighbors was vital for Armenia also in terms of advancing its integration with the European Union.