On Wednesday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed MEPs, underscoring the vital importance of fostering peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and Armenia’s aspirations for European Union membership.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that since his last visit to the European Parliament in 2023, Armenia and the South Caucasus region have experienced significant historical changes. He articulated the Armenian government’s commitment to advancing its participation in the US-brokered TRIPP infrastructure programme, which aims to establish seamless multimodal transit connectivity within Armenian territory and link the main part of Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister addressed recent political developments within Armenia, highlighting ongoing initiatives to resettle Armenians who were displaced during the previous conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. He expressed concerns regarding the actions of certain clergy and political opposition groups that may seek to undermine peace efforts. Lastly, he emphasised the importance of working towards the release of Armenian prisoners of war who are still detained in Azerbaijan.
“The most memorable of these changes is the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, formalised on 8 August 2025 in Washington DC, when President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and I signed a Joint Declaration in the White House, effectively securing peace between our two nations”, he said.
Addressing those issues is critical to the current peace process, he said: “We are criticised for the fact that the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not perfect. But I ask you: Where is peace perfect? Where has perfect peace ever existed, and when? (…) On the contrary, it is the will to care for peace that can bring it as close to perfection as possible (…).”
Armenia’s journey towards EU membership
Pashinyan emphasised that Armenia continues to implement reforms with the support of European partners. He highlighted the country’s adoption of the law on the “Launch of the Process of the Republic of Armenia’s Accession to the European Union,” which marks the start of Armenia’s journey towards EU membership.
Now, after the adoption of this law, the prime minister said, many in Armenia ask: When will Armenia become a member of the European Union?
“Our answer is very clear: No country can become a member of the EU without meeting its standards. Therefore, our task is to continue the path of reforms with the support of our European partners and first objectively meet the EU’s accession criteria.”
The Armenian Prime Minister noted that one of the main obstacles to Armenia’s EU integration is the stalled political dialogue between the EU and Georgia.
“Georgia is our path to the European Union, and we adopted the law on the Launch of the Process of the Republic of Armenia’s Accession to the European Union after Georgia received EU candidate status. This made Armenia’s EU membership perspective tangible, and our expectation and request is that the constructive EU-Georgia process will develop. This is as important for Armenia as it is for Georgia,” he explained.
The prime minister emphasised that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia on 7 June should focus on reinforcing peace, stating, “Our democracy must make peace irreversible, and then peace will make democracy irreversible.”
—
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Chakhmakhchian Vatche. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/03/12/prime-minister-nikol-pashinyan-addresses-the-parliament-on-armenias-eu-member/