Pashinyan: The referendum on joining the EU or maintaining membership in the EAEU has already been held twice indirectly

ArmInfo. A referendum on joining the European Union (EU) or maintaining membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has already been held twice, indirectly. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in the Armenian parliament on September 16, responding to an opposition MP's question about whether the country intends to join the EU or is merely creating that impression.

Pashinyan stated that resolving such issues is not within the purview of either the Armenian government or the parliamentary majority. "The people of Armenia make such decisions. Our task at this stage is to formulate an alternative. When this alternative is formed, that is, when events begin to unfold, the time will come for the Armenian people to make a choice. "We've already spoken about this many times," the Armenian Prime Minister stated.

Pashinyan also assured that relations between Armenia and the EU have reached a peak and that this is an established political reality. This, he said, is evidenced by the visa liberalization process and the temporary trade liberalization measures for Armenian-made products previously approved by the European Parliament. "In general, I observe a tendency—and not only in Parliament—that when people ask a question, they expect a specific answer. And if that answer doesn't meet their expectations, they claim that the question was never answered. But the answer is precisely this: we passed the law and are now formulating an alternative. People may agree with our rationale or not. We are not trying to challenge anyone's right to disagree. "But we say that this is our political position, and since the people of Armenia have given us a mandate for this, we will continue to move this process forward," Pashinyan added.

Speaking about why they are not holding a referendum on joining the EU or maintaining membership in the EAEU, the Armenian Prime Minister stated that there is no need for one at the moment. "After all, in essence, a referendum has already been held twice indirectly – we are talking about the signature collection process related to the adoption of the bill (on the beginning of the EU accession process) and the next parliamentary elections on June 7. Therefore, I say that we will form an alternative and then submit this issue to the people. "Our problem is to work through the issue," Pashinyan concluded.

As a reminder, on January 9, 2025, the Armenian government approved a draft law on the start of the process of joining the European Union, proposed by the "Eurakve" civic initiative. The draft was sent to the Armenian parliament for approval. On March 26, the parliament adopted it in its final reading and sent it to the president for signature. The document was signed on April 4 of that year. Moscow stated that Russia had conveyed to Armenia that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union was impossible.

On May 9, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking to journalists, suggested that Armenia decide on its membership in the EU and the EAEU as soon as possible, expressing its readiness to "begin a civilized divorce" if necessary. Yerevan responded by stating that it would leave the EAEU whenever it deemed necessary. And on May 29, the heads of four of the five EAEU countries adopted a resolution recommending that Armenia hold a referendum on its continued membership in the EAEU. That same day, the Russian president stated that Armenia could not afford to sit on two chairs and needed to make a choice as soon as possible.