Armenia prepares to submit official application for EU accession - Pashinyan

Armenia will soon begin the process of submitting an official application for accession to the European Union. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking in parliament.

According to him, significant preparatory work is necessary before the actual submission of the application. At the same time, it is advisable to hold a referendum on the country's future EU membership only after addressing Brussels, receiving a response, and a concrete roadmap appearing.

Earlier, in 2025, a law on starting the process of the country's accession to the European Union came into force in Armenia. However, Yerevan has not yet submitted an official application for membership. Pashinyan himself earlier emphasized that simultaneous membership of Armenia in the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible.

In parallel, Pashinyan made another statement regarding relations with unions dominated by Russia. He stated that Armenia does not plan to resume active participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization for at least the next five years.

Moreover, the prime minister said he would be glad if the CSTO itself decided to expel Armenia. According to him, this would spare Yerevan the need to independently resolve the issue of formal withdrawal from the organization. Armenia froze its participation in the CSTO in 2024, accusing allies of failing to fulfill security obligations.

Thus, the statement about the future official application to the EU signifies a new stage in Armenia's European course: earlier, Yerevan made a political decision to start the rapprochement process, but now the authorities are for the first time talking about moving directly to the procedure of submitting an application. 

Based on materials from: Radio Azatutyun