Pashinyan announces preparations for Armenia’s application to join the EU
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told lawmakers that the government will begin preparations to submit an application for membership in the European Union. Armenia plans to formally apply to the EU in the near future, Euronews reports.
Sequence of actions for accession
According to Pashinyan, the issue of the country’s accession to the EU will be put to a nationwide referendum only after an official application is submitted. First, Yerevan will wait for Brussels’ response, then discuss a roadmap for accession negotiations, and may then hold a referendum.
Pashinyan also stated that Armenia will remain in the Collective Security Treaty Organization for now, which is led by Russia, an aggressor state. According to him, the country will remain in the CSTO until the choice between participation in this organization and moving toward the EU becomes unavoidable.
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The Armenian prime minister added that he would be glad if the CSTO itself decided to expel Armenia, as this would spare the country the dilemma of a possible withdrawal from the organization. He also said that the events of 2021–2023 demonstrated Russia’s limited ability to be Armenia’s security guarantor because of its own security challenges.
Railway and Kremlin reaction
Pashinyan asked Moscow to abandon the monopoly concession for Armenia’s railways, which is valid until 2038. In his view, this would make it possible to integrate the country’s railway network into international routes. He named Kazakhstan or the United Arab Emirates as possible investors.
Spokesman for the Kremlin of the aggressor state Dmitry Peskov said that Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO could cause, in his words, deep trade disputes that would primarily harm Armenia. He added that Yerevan may leave the organization if it no longer considers membership necessary for its national interests.
