Armenia to start application process for EU membership soon - premier 

ArmInfo.  A nationwide referendum on Armenia's accession to the European Union will  definitely take place. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed  this confidence while presenting the government's program for  2026-2031 to the National Assembly on August 24.

According to him, the only problem is timing. The Prime Minister  noted that the timing of the referendum is not only organizational  but also substantive. Pashinyan noted that the restrictions imposed  by Russia on Armenian goods contradict the rules of the Eurasian  Economic Union. According to him, the joint statement by the leaders  of four EAEU countries calling for a nationwide referendum in Armenia  to promptly decide whether to join the European Union or continue its  membership in the Eurasian Union is noteworthy. The law "On the  Initiation of the Process of Accession to the Eurasian Union,"  adopted in March 2025, presupposes the beginning of the process, and  putting the issue to a referendum only makes sense once the process  has reached a point where something can be realistically assessed and  discussed.

"First, Armenia must formally submit an application for EU  membership. We will likely begin this process in the near future,  heeding the calls of our EAEU partners," Pashinyan stated, adding  that the referendum will be held after the formal submission of the  application for EU membership, the receipt of a corresponding  response, and the development of a roadmap for the further process.

Along this path, the Prime Minister noted, Armenia intends to achieve  visa liberalization with the EU by 2029, and may soon begin the  process of applying for EU membership. He stated that Armenia is  currently the only country with which the European Union is actively  negotiating visa liberalization.

Pashinyan noted that Armenia's rapprochement with the EU has raised  some concerns in Russia. "However, the development of relations with  the EU has only provided grounds for this concern, and its underlying  cause is the transformation of relations between Armenia and Russia,"  Pashinyan said.