Armenian government approves EU accession bill

The Armenian government has approved a bill that envisages submitting an application for membership in the European Union, Reuters reported on Thursday, January 9.

The Armenian government said the move would be "the beginning of the process of the Republic of Armenia's accession to the European Union." Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stressed that the public should not expect the country to join the EU quickly, and that the decision would in any case require approval in a referendum.

The publication writes that in response to Armenia's decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the aggressor country of russia needs to understand Brussels' position and that Armenia cannot join the EU while remaining a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, which also includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the russian federation.

"In recent years, Armenia has deepened ties with the West at the expense of its traditionally close relations with Moscow, which it has accused of failing to protect it from long-time rival Azerbaijan," the article says.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on February 12, 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his country is not an ally of the aggressor country of russia in the war against Ukraine.

On February 23, 2024, Pashinyan said that Yerevan had frozen its participation in the CSTO.

In May 2024, Armenia refused to finance the CSTO, which also includes russia and Belarus.