Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announces plans to apply for EU membership and seek a national referendum.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Monday that Armenia will begin preparing to apply for the European Union for membership. This historic geopolitical shift marks a significant move for a country formerly under Russian influence. Pashinyan stated that the government will wait for a response from Brussels before discussing a roadmap for negotiations and eventually putting the membership to a national referendum in the near future. While Armenia currently remains a member of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Pashinyan expressed a desire for the organization to eventually remove Armenia from its ranks. He noted that while Russia has historically been the guarantor of Armenian security, recent security challenges have limited Russia's ability to perform this role. Pashinyan also requested that Moscow relinquish its monopoly on Armenian railways by 2038, seeking to integrate the rail network into international networks with potential investors from Kazakhstan or the UAE. The Kremlin responded by warning that a departure from the CSTO could lead to deep trade contradictions that would primarily harm Armenia.