Armenia wants to join the European Union - Pashinyan

ArmInfo. Armenia wants to become a member of the European Union, as stated by RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a press conference on July 16.

According to him, this issue was discussed during his recent visit to Brussels, where the prospects for developing Armenia's relations with the EU were discussed with the EU leadership. Despite the law on EU accession process adopted in the country, it does not mean automatic accession to this structure. This requires the consent of all member states of the European Union. Additionally, Pashinyan  noted that the country itself must meet the EU criteria.

During the talks in Brussels, the RA Prime Minister reminded his interlocutors that Armenia has reform programs and a strategy that will be implemented in any case. The implementation of these reform programs, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, and in the upcoming new agenda of relations between Armenia and the EU, will lead to the country meeting European standards in all areas.  Whether or not the country becomes an EU member, it will still meet its standards. Pashinyan stressed that compared to 2019, passenger transportation between Armenia and EU countries has increased by almost 400%. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of expediting the process of visa liberalization. The Prime Minister added that there are cases when citizens face delays of months in obtaining visas to visit a particular EU country. All of these issues were discussed in the capital of Belgium.