EU expands support for Armenia with €50 million package and new joint task force amid Russia’s ‘economic coercion’

The EU is preparing a support package for Armenia, which includes immediate financial assistance worth over €50 million amid Russia’s import ban targeting Armenian goods.

The assistance was announced in an EU readout following a phone call between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Today I spoke with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about Russia's recent restrictions targeting Armenia. This is nothing short of economic coercion, and it is unacceptable,” President von der Leyen said in the readout published by the European Commission.

President von der Leyen pledged targeted aid for affected sectors and deeper economic and connectivity cooperation with Armenia and announced that a joint EU–Armenia Task Force will be created to oversee the implementation of all these initiatives.

She said that Armenia has the potential to become a strategic hub connecting Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.

She said Moscow is “weaponising” economic relations.

“By extending export restrictions on Armenian products, Moscow is weaponising economic relations for political pressure. We know this playbook all too well. This is why Europe stands firmly with Armenia. We are preparing an EU support package. It includes immediate financial assistance, worth over 50 million euro. And more will come. On measures to ease the trade for some Armenian products, in particular agri-food. And on practical support for affected sectors, such as Armenian flowers, given that Russia has recently restricted Armenia's flower imports over questionable allegations. A shipment of 10,000 flowers is planned to arrive in Latvia tomorrow. Others will follow. We will also keep connecting our businesses, following up on the commitments taken at our recent Summit in Yerevan. EU support since 2024 under the Resilience & Growth Plan has already helped 7,000 businesses and contributed to the creation of more than 20,000 jobs. Armenia is where talent, innovation and opportunity come together. For European businesses, it's a key place to be. Over the longer term, I expressed Europe's commitment to deliver on the ambitious Connectivity Partnership concluded at the summit. The recent reopening of trade routes with Türkiye, including the railway connection through Georgia and Türkiye, is an excellent step forward. Armenia has the potential to become a strategic hub connecting Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. We are ready to support infrastructure and border crossing points as regional connections reopen. We will continue advancing these priorities together at the Connectivity Platform Ministerial on 23 June. To ensure effective coordination on all these fronts, we agreed to set a joint EU-Armenia Task Force. This will oversee the implementation of all these initiatives and any further measures in the future,” the European Commission President said.