It will not be easy to sever the umbilical cord that still binds Armenia to Russia: International media coverage

One step at a time, Yerevan continues on its path to move closer to Europe. And simultaneously moving away from Russia. Armenia’s parliament has passed a bill committing the government to begin negotiations on EU accession as soon as possible. The next step should now be a popular referendum, Eunews writes.

Arguing that this is a will shared by the majority of the population, the premier has long reiterated the need to bring the Caucasian country into the European orbit, disengaging it simultaneously from Moscow. But it will not be easy to sever the umbilical cord that still binds it to the Federation, especially in economic and energy terms, and the Kremlin has already threatened repercussions if the Yerevan government goes its own way.  However, EU membership is a bumpy and uphill path, which can take years and does not guarantee a positive outcome, as the experiences of Turkey and Georgia, to name a couple, show. Two MEPs, Latvian socialist Nils Ušakovs and popular Slovakian Miriam Lexmann, welcomed the Yerevan parliament’s vote: “We take note of this decision and welcome it as another clear expression of Armenia’s firm commitment to our shared values and the country’s democratic path,” reads a joint statement.

Pashinyan has already signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue with Brussels as soon as possible to put pen to paper on a roadmap leading to accession through concrete measures such as visa liberalization.

Le Monde says Moscow has cautioned that Armenia’s push toward EU membership could come at a steep economic cost. Last week, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu reiterated the warning, saying Yerevan could lose tariff-free trade with Moscow and face a potential hike in Russian natural gas prices, adding that Russia may also expel large numbers of Armenian migrant workers. Ties between Yerevan and Moscow plummeted dramatically following Azerbaijan’s 2023 lightning offensive. Armenia accused Russia, which had almost 2,000 troops stationed in the region, of doing nothing to prevent the fighting and the subsequent exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians from the region.