Armenian parliament approves EU accession bill in final vote

ISTANBUL

Armenia’s parliament passed a bill Wednesday to initiate the accession process to the EU, advancing the measure in its second and final reading in a 64 - 7 vote.

The ruling Civil Contract party, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, unanimously backed the bill.

But opposition lawmakers were split, with members of the I Have Honor party, linked to former President Serzh Sargsyan, opposed, and Armenia Alliance, a political alliance associated with former President Robert Kocharyan, abstaining, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

The government approved the bill Jan. 9, but Pashinyan emphasized that the final decision on EU accession should be made in a nationwide referendum.

National Assembly President Alen Simonyan called the vote an “historic step,” highlighting that the bill was introduced through a civil initiative.

The EU has sought closer ties with Yerevan, with the European Parliament approving a resolution urging the 27-member bloc's executive bodies to strengthen its relations with Armenia back in March 2024.

It said that the EU should "respond positively" to Yerevan's desire to enhance bilateral ties with Brussels and "take full advantage of this potential geopolitical shift."

Meanwhile, Russia argued Armenia’s initiation of discussions on EU accession signals a move toward withdrawing from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Yerevan has been a member of since 2015.