Adoption of EU accession bill does not mean Armenia`s application for  accession to EU - MFA

ArmInfo. At the plenary session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on March 26, the discussions on the draft law "On the beginning of the process  of Armenia's accession to the European Union" continued in the second  and final reading.

Presenting the draft law, the representative of the civil initiative  "Eurokve" Artak Zeynalyan emphasized that following active  discussions with the government and members of the National Assembly,  some amendments were made to the draft law. The term "on the  unanimous will of the people" was removed from the preliminary  version of the document. In principle, the Cabinet of Ministers  proposed to do away with the preface altogether, but ultimately  agreed with the wording that "the Republic of Armenia, setting itself  the goals of developing democratic institutions, improving the  welfare of citizens, strengthening state security, the country's  resilience and the rule of law, declares the beginning of the process  of accession to the European Union." The document calls on the  executive branch to begin negotiations with the EU to develop a work  plan for accession to this structure in order to achieve the state's  strategic goal. The work plan must include all activities in  accordance with Article 49 of the EU Treaty and the standards of the  Copenhagen Convention.

In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia Paruy  Hovhannisyan noted that given the inclusion of government proposals  in the bill, the document can be considered acceptable. According to  the Deputy Minister, the presented document is in line with the  government's position on developing democratic institutions in the  country, improving the well-being of Armenian citizens, strengthening  state security, and the rule of law. It is also in line with the  authorities' policy on deepening relations with the European Union.  In Armenia's foreign policy, the development of relations with the EU  and its individual states occupies a special place, as evidenced by  the unprecedented dynamics of deepening relations, which is reflected  in almost all areas of cooperation. "Nevertheless, the adoption of  the law does not mean that Yerevan will submit an application to join  the EU, but it will be a signal to raise relations to a qualitatively  new level, fully in line with the aspirations of the country's  citizens. The document is also in line with the government's policy  on implementing a balanced foreign policy," Paruyr Hovhannisyan  emphasized.