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The Armenian government will soon begin the process of submitting an official application for EU membership, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.
“I have had occasion to say that the restrictions imposed by Russia on the export of Armenian goods contradict the regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). This is, essentially, a crisis for the EAEU, and we have already begun organizing discussions on this issue within the organization.
“Of note is the joint statement by the leaders of the four EAEU member countries on May 29 of this year, in which they say: ‘We share the position on the need to hold, within the shortest possible timeframe, a nationwide referendum in the Republic of Armenia on possible accession to the European Union or remaining in the Eurasian Economic Union.’
“We view this as a friendly gesture, which we highly appreciate, and I am confident that such a referendum will definitely take place in Armenia. The issue is the timing, but the timing is important not only from an organizational standpoint, but also from a substantive one,” the prime minister said in parliament during debates on the government’s five-year program.
He stressed that Armenia’s National Assembly adopted a law in March 2025 on launching the process of Armenia’s accession to the EU.
“It is clear from the title and brief content of the law that it concerns the launch of the process of joining the EU, while a referendum on the issue is not a feature of the launch of this process, but an important milestone. In other words, a referendum makes sense when the process that has been launched has reached some milestone, and it is possible to assess the realism of those prospects, to have a roadmap for how we will move forward and how realistic it is to carry out, within the given timeframe, the reforms necessary for joining the EU.
“Having answers to these questions is important not only from a procedural standpoint, but also in order to have at least approximate answers to the questions that will be raised by the people during the referendum. And in order to work on the answers to these questions, Armenia must first submit an official application to join the EU. This is also a process requiring extensive work, and in the near future, we will perhaps begin this process, especially by heeding the calls of our EAEU partners,” the prime minister stressed.