Armenia to soon begin process of applying for EU membership — PM

YEREVAN, August 24. /TASS/. Armenia will soon begin the process of applying for membership in the EU, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated. While presenting the government’s program for 2026-2031 to parliament, the prime minister reiterated that a referendum makes sense when the discussion of the issue has reached a turning point and it is possible to begin preparing a roadmap. "To answer these questions, Armenia must first submit an official application for EU membership. This is an extensive process, and we will begin it in the near future, at least in response to the call of our colleagues from the Eurasian Economic Union," Pashinyan said. On March 26, 2025, the Armenian parliament passed a law launching the country's accession process to the EU. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that integration into the EU would automatically entail the termination of Armenia’s cooperation with the EAEU and the loss of all associated preferences. At the EAEU summit in Astana on May 29, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan adopted a joint statement indicating their shared view that Armenia must hold a nationwide referendum on whether to join the EU or remain in the EAEU. On August 11, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS that Armenia must decide whether to hold a nationwide referendum on joining the EU or maintaining its membership in the EAEU by December 2026, when the issue of potential next steps regarding Yerevan will be discussed at a meeting of the EAEU heads of state.