BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 7. Armenia's adoption of a law initiating the process of joining the European Union (EU) aims to create additional opportunities and alternatives for the country, but the process requires preliminary preparation.
This was announced by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at an expanded meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.
According to Pashinyan, Armenia continues to view strengthening cooperation with the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as a foreign policy and economic priority.
At the same time, he noted that in 2025, Armenia adopted a law initiating the country's accession process to the European Union, the strategic goal of which is to create alternative opportunities for further development.
"We understand that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union is impossible," Pashinyan said.
He emphasized that the adoption of this law doesn't in itself mean that Armenia has already gained the opportunity to become an EU member.
"When Armenia is ultimately prepared for EU membership, this doesn't mean that our country will automatically become an EU member. This will still require the consent of EU member states and the approval of Armenian citizens," the prime minister pointed out.
According to him, significant institutional preparation is necessary before the membership issue is submitted to the citizens.
"It's impossible to submit this issue to the citizens of Armenia without preliminary institutional preparatory work, and even then, it will be necessary to submit an official application to the EU for accession to the European Union and then obtain candidate state status," Pashinyan stated.
He added that holding a referendum before these stages would have no practical effect.
"This would mean we expect our citizens to answer a question that simply doesn't exist at this point. We expect Armenian citizens to choose between two alternatives, one of which doesn't exist," the prime minister said.
Pashinyan also noted that Armenia has taken note of the statement by the leaders of the four EAEU member states on May 29, 2026, expressing support for the idea of holding a referendum in the country on EU accession.
He expressed gratitude to his European Union partners for recognizing Armenia's right to develop relations with various international partners and create trade and economic alternatives.
"I believe this approach is beneficial for the EU, as the existence of possible alternatives is a factor that will contribute to the development of the EAEU's competitiveness and attractiveness," Pashinyan stressed.
According to him, namely the existence of alternatives could serve as an incentive for further improvement of integration associations.
"I think no one will deny that in this regard, we have work to do within the EAEU. We are ready and offer to work on this," the prime minister stated.
