Eunews: Armenia’s progress toward EU membership will not be easy

In recent years, Yerevan has gradually distanced itself from Vladimir Putin’s Russia and moved closer to the West by promoting political, economic, and military cooperation with European partners, Eunews reports.

As noted, after Moscow failed to guarantee the conditions of the 2020 ceasefire—which was supposed to prevent Azerbaijan from attacking the ethnically Armenian populated region of Artsakh—Baku invaded the area in September 2023, annexing it.

However, as Pashinyan expected, progress toward EU membership will not be easy. Beyond political statements, Yerevan is still largely dependent on Moscow (which has a military base in Armenia) in economic, trade, and energy matters. Additionally, the 27 EU member states buy natural gas from Baku. Recently, the President of Azerbaijan referred to Armenia as a “fascist threat,” suggesting that it should be “eliminated.”

As mentioned in the article, this was not a conciliatory statement and casts doubt on the progress—brokered by the EU—toward a peaceful resolution of the 30-year conflict between Baku and Yerevan. It was noted that the Kremlin, through its Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, has only stated that Armenia is free to make decisions regarding its international positioning but cannot remain a member of the Eurasian Economic Union if it joins the EU.