The Armenian government has approved the draft law on “launching the process of accession of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union (EU).” According to News.am, the process has officially begun.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced that the draft law on the EU accession process was submitted to the National Assembly for consideration. Mirzoyan added that the relations between his country and the EU have been “quite intense and dynamic” in recent years.
“The EU has provided strong political support to Armenian democracy on various occasions. The EU has also played an active role in ensuring security in the neighborhood of the Republic of Armenia,” Mirzoyan said.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia’s EU membership can only be realized after a referendum.
“In the autumn of 2023, I made a speech in the European Parliament, the main message of which was that Armenia is ready to be with the EU, to be as close as the EU sees fit. At that time, this very speech became the most popular topic in Armenia. The reaction of Armenian citizens to this speech was unprecedented,” he said.
The Prime Minister recalled that this was followed by a trilateral meeting between Armenia, the U.S., and the EU on April 5, 2024, at the suggestion of the EU, which had a “wide resonance.” According to the procedure established by the Constitution of Armenia, a civil initiative was formed, which took legal action by collecting 50,000 signatures.
Pashinyan also emphasized that if this law is adopted, “we should have a clear understanding of the steps to be taken, including whether to hold a referendum or not.”
“As far as I understand, after the adoption of this law, we should discuss with the EU the roadmap they will present and the roadmap we will present, and we should create a roadmap together,” the Prime Minister said.
In March last year, Pashinyan, while evaluating the European Parliament’s resolution on strengthening relations with Yerevan, stated that the Armenian government was determined to deepen relations with the EU.
At the end of June, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, stated in an interview with LSM.lv television that Armenia may organize a referendum on EU accession in the near future. Simonyan emphasized that Armenian society had made up its mind on joining the EU.
