Armenia eyeing EU membership: Foreign Minister
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Yerevan's Foreign Minister says that Armenians "do have European aspirations" and the idea of submitting a membership application to join the bloc is being internally discussed.
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EU High Representative Josep Borrell (left) and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (right) in Brussels, Belgium in February 2024 (European Union)
Armenia is considering applying for membership in the European Union and is holding major internal discussions on the matter, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told Turkish broadcaster TRT World.
"Well, especially having in mind all the challenges that we have been facing during recent couple of years, three years, four years, many new opportunities are largely being discussed in Armenia nowadays," Mirzoyan said in a YouTube interview on Friday.
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"That will not be a secret if I said that [they include] an idea such as also membership in the European Union. I can only add that the people of Armenia do have European aspirations… We are passing through a process, and we will see. No one can be sure or no one can predict the end of this process."
The minister also believed that there exist opportunities to broaden cooperation with European countries, mainly France, and the United States. This would also include strategic talks with Washington.
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"The same I can say for the European Union as well. With the European Union we have the CEPA agreement [Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement] and now we are looking beyond this agreement. … We discuss visa liberalization or facilitation, we discuss several new tools that could be used in our relationship."
Mirzoyan also noted that the EU mission has played a significant role in maintaining stability in the border region with Azerbaijan.
"I would also like to add that for the first time in history, the EU, for instance, is also involved in security affairs in our region. You probably know that there is an EU civilian mission deployed within the Republic of Armenia, monitoring the bordering regions, the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan."
Closer to Washington
In February 2023, Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan stated that Armenia would take action to best ensure its complete security when questioned about plans to strengthen relations with the EU.
Relations between Yerevan and Russia deteriorated last year, leading to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suspending the country's participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization CSTO during the same months. But a full withdrawal from the body is yet to be declared by Armenia.
Pashinyan accuses Russia of failing to commit to its obligations regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Armenia lost control over to Azerbaijan last September, and later formally acknowledged it as part of Azerbaijan's sovereign territory.
Meanwhile, Yerevan drew closer to Washington, with the two countries conducting joint military exercises in Armenia last December.
