The Armenian government, during its meeting on Thursday, January 9, approved a bill titled “On the Start of the Process of the Republic of Armenia’s Accession to the European Union.”
The proposal was presented by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
“The bill on starting Armenia’s EU membership process was introduced to the National Assembly as a civic initiative, and now the government must express its position,” Mirzoyan said, recommending a positive response.
According to him, Armenia and the EU have had very intense and dynamic relations in recent years.
“These relations have been very rich and have covered various fields. The EU has repeatedly expressed its strong political support for democracy in Armenia. The EU is essentially involved in ensuring a safe environment around Armenia. I mean the deployment of the EU civilian monitoring mission,” Mirzoyan said.
He also mentioned that the EU has expressed its willingness to support the strengthening of Armenia’s economic resilience.
“Obviously, the EU has very rich democratic traditions, strong democratic institutions, a free competitive environment, a modern economy, and advanced science. You, Mr. Prime Minister, also stated in the European Parliament that Armenia is ready to be as close to the EU as the EU considers possible. We have also seen signs that this is possible. I mean the beginning of visa regime liberalization and a number of other tools that have been applied or discussed with the EU,” said the Foreign Minister.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that the decision to join the EU should be approved by a referendum. After the government’s approval, the bill will also need to be voted on in parliament.
