VIDEO. Small countries benefit from EU membership, giving little and gaining much, Arman Yeghoyan

European integration is not a one-step action, nor is it a multi-step action. This was stated by Arman Yeghoyan, the head of the Permanent Committee on European Integration Issues, during discussions in the National Assembly regarding the referendum on Armenia's application for EU membership.

“It is not even a single line action composed of numerous steps, but rather an action composed of numerous lines in multiple measurements, within which there are many individual steps,” he said.

According to Yeghoyan, the question is not whether it is good to be an EU member or not. “The answer to that question is clear — it is good to be an EU member because small states can gain a lot by giving relatively little. It is the large countries that ask such questions. The fact has shown that small countries have recorded exponential growth after joining the EU,” he noted.

He emphasized that the issue lies in the timeframe, the order of steps to be taken thereafter. “In our faction — in the ruling majority, such questions are discussed not on live air; discussions about tools and the sequence of steps have been ongoing for a long time,” he stated. The deputy from the Civil Contract party mentioned that the aim of the discussions is to accurately examine this issue at an expert level, rather than at a propaganda or slogan level.