Why does Armenia want to join the European Union?

63 deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia voted in favor of the EU membership bill, 7 deputies voted against. The opposition "Armenia" party did not participate in the vote. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Armenia can become a member of the European Union if the people approve the program.

The draft law states that, by the will of its citizens and the determination to become a secure and developed country, Armenia announces the beginning of the process of joining the European Union. The bill on Armenia’s accession to the European Union was adopted a day after Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to France. The process of joining the European Union is complex and long. Armenia, located in the Caucasus region, is a landlocked country with no access to the sea and no land connection with the European Union.

The 27 EU members must vote on the admission of any new member. After the acceptance of each candidate’s application for membership in the Union, a complex and lengthy negotiation process begins to meet the EU’s legal, political, economic and social standards. Each candidate goes through a long-term economic, political and security process to join the EU. The European Union is also trying to expand its economic, political and security influence by absorbing the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics.

Efforts to accept Ukraine and Georgia were also being made in this direction. The Caucasus region is of great geopolitical importance. During the recent Karabakh war, Azerbaijan recaptured the Karabakh region, after which Armenia began to move away from Russia. Yerevan, a member of the CSTO and the EAEU, has revised its strategy after recent developments in the region and the world, including the war in Ukraine and the change in the balance of power in the Caucasus, to which Moscow has reacted harshly.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk stated that if the developers of Armenia’s EU membership program are honest with the country’s people and other Eurasian Union countries, then they should also develop a program for Armenia’s exit from the EAEU in parallel. And if they do not take such a step, it means that they realize the consequences of leaving the Eurasian Union. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Armenia is one of the five main members of the EAEU and noted: "It is impossible to be a member of the EU and the EAEU at the same time. Membership in the Eurasian Union certainly brings benefits to Yerevan."

Despite the threatening statements from the Russian side, Armenia seems to see the current situation as the best opportunity to distance itself from Russia, given the war in Ukraine and the difficult situation in the Federation. The approval of the bill on membership in the European Union by the Armenian parliament is an important step towards changing the country’s strategic orientation. This decision reflects Armenia’s desire to reduce its dependence on Russia, attract foreign investment, and enhance regional security.