Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian calls for a national debate on the country's accession to the EU
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian welcomed on Thursday a European Parliament resolution construed by him as an endorsement of his administration’s possible decision to seek Armenia’s membership in the European Union, RFE reports.
The resolution passed on Wednesday reaffirms support for Armenia’s territorial integrity and “democratic credentials,” praises the Armenian government for seeking closer ties with the EU and hails the effective suspension of the country’s membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). It also says that Yerevan “could set the stage for a transformative phase in EU-Armenia relations” if it decides to try to eventually join the EU.
Pashinian touted the resolution at the start of a weekly session of his cabinet in Yerevan. He said the EU’s legislative body made clear that “if Armenia wants to submit an application to become a candidate for EU membership, the EU institutions should support it.”
“Welcoming this resolution of the European Parliament, I believe that it should become a subject of public discussion in Armenia,” he said. “This is another opportunity to discuss the vision for the future of Armenia.”
Pashinian again did not say whether he supports the idea of joining the EU which was floated by two key members of his entourage last week. He said i
