Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed on Thursday a European Parliament resolution construed by him as an endorsement of his administration’s possible decision to seek Armenia’s membership in the European Union.
The resolution passed on Wednesday reaffirms support for Armenia’s territorial integrity and “democratic credentials,” praises the Armenian government for seeking closer ties with the EU and hails the effective suspension of the country’s membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). It also says that Yerevan “could set the stage for a transformative phase in EU-Armenia relations” if it decides to try to eventually join the EU.
Pashinyan touted the resolution at the start of a weekly session of his cabinet in Yerevan. He said the EU’s legislative body made clear that “if Armenia wants to submit an application to become a candidate for EU membership, the EU institutions should support it.”
“Welcoming this resolution of the European Parliament, I believe that it should become a subject of public discussion in Armenia,” he said. “This is another opportunity to discuss the vision for the future of Armenia.”
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Pashinyan again did not say whether he supports the idea of joining the EU which was floated by two key members of his entourage last week. He said instead that his government will keep deepening Armenia’s ties with the 27-nation bloc.
The Armenian premier twice discussed the idea with parliament deputies from his Civil Contract party last week. Some of them reportedly voiced serious misgivings about it, arguing that Armenia is heavily dependent on Russia for trade and energy.
An EU membership bid would presumably require the South Caucasus nation’s exit from not only the CSTO but also the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led trade bloc. Hakob Arshakian, a deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament affiliated with Civil Contract, said on Thursday that Pashinyan’s team has not discussed such a possibility yet.
“There is no question that [the European Parliament resolution] must undergo a broad public debate,” Arshakian told reporters. “We will get to talk about our further steps later on.”
Amid unprecedented tensions between the two longtime allies, Moscow has repeatedly warned Yerevan against leaving the CSTO and aligning with the West. Russian officials say this would have severe consequences for not only Armenia’s security but also economy.
Russia accounted last year for over 35 percent of Armenia’s foreign trade, compared with the EU’s 13 percent share. It absorbed 40 percent of Armenian exports worth $8.4 billion.
Russia is also main source of multimillion-dollar remittances sent home by Armenian migrant workers and Armenia’s principal supplier of natural gas. The price of Russian gas for the country has long been set well below international market-based levels.
