Exiting the EAEU is Not the Goal, While Becoming an EU Member Is a Goal: Nikol Pashinyan

Exiting the EAEU is not the goal. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during a meeting with Armenian journalists in Hamburg, addressing the question of when Armenia might eventually exit the EAEU. “On the other hand, becoming an EU member is a goal. We understand that simultaneous membership in the EAEU and the EU is not possible, and we recognize that there comes a point when decisions need to be made. But today is not that point; there is no need to make a decision today. It is a matter of preference. If there is no need for a decision today, why should we make one? When the time comes that we reach the point where a decision must be made, then we will make it.

Now the question arises: why have we adopted a law to begin the EU membership process? First and foremost, it is an additional boost for us to continue democratic reforms and to have additional incentives to align with EU standards in all areas. What does it mean to be an EU member state? It means complying with EU standards in all areas. As long as we do not objectively meet those standards, we cannot become an EU member,” the Prime Minister emphasized.