YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on August 24 pledged to speed up his pursuit of Armenia’s membership in the European Union in response to growing pressure from Russia.
But Pashinyan indicated that he is still in no rush to hold a referendum on joining the EU or remaining part of a Russian-led trade bloc essential for the Armenian economy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin first called for such a referendum following two European summits held in Yerevan in early May. The leaders of the three other EEU member states — Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — backed the demand in a joint statement with Putin adopted during a May 29 summit boycotted by Pashinyan.
Pashinyan initially scoffed at the move. But he later softened his rhetoric, saying that Yerevan needs to make a formal EU membership bid before holding the referendum. He made the same point when presenting his government’s five-year policy program to the Armenian parliament.
“This process [of applying for EU membership] also requires a great deal of work and we will probably soon start this process especially to hear the appeals of our EEU partners,” he said.
“My understanding is that we will hold the referendum after we have officially applied to the EU for membership, received an appropriate response and have a roadmap for the process,” added Pashinyan.
