Armenian government backs EU membership bill in move mocked by Russia

The Armenian Government has backed a draft law announcing the beginning of the process of joining the EU, leading to a swift and sarcastic reaction from Russia.

During a government session on Thursday, foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan said they had a ‘positive stance’ on the bill ‘on the launch of the process of the Republic of Armenia’s accession to the European Union’ considering the ‘rather intensive and dynamic relations’ between Armenia and the EU in recent years.

In December, the Central Election Commission verified that a petition by the Eurovote civic initiative had collected the required 50,000 signatures to submit a draft law.

If passed, the law would ‘proclaim the start of the process of the Republic of Armenia’s accession to the European Union’.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government’s stance was that it ‘doesn’t object’ to the bill’s passage, but that passing the law ‘doesn’t literally mean Armenia’s joining the EU’.

‘Making a decision on that point can only be made through a referendum, there is no other option,’ Pashinyan said.

He added that after the law was adopted by Parliament, a discussion must take place between Armenia and the EU to develop a roadmap.

Before that, he said Armenia ‘doesn’t have any actions to carry out, at least now’ and that there was ‘neither much to be excited about nor much to be nervous about’ with the bill itself.

Russian officials responded to the bill on the same day.

President Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said it was ‘simply impossible’ for Armenia to become an EU member while it was a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

‘Armenia is a member of the EAEU, and this membership in the EAEU, to call things by their proper names, gives very, very positive dividends to Armenia as a state and for the people of this country’ Peskov said.

He also suggested it was not yet clear ‘what the EU’s position is on this matter’, suggesting Armenia could follow the example of Turkey, which has on paper remained an EU candidate country since 1999.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, sarcastically asked if the ‘shaved Pashinyan’, might recall that Armenia was a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) following recent threatening statements by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev.

Aliyev threatens to destroy ‘Armenian fascism’

In a lengthy interview with Azerbaijani media, Aliyev criticised Armenia’s armament and its ‘obstruction’ of the ‘Zangezur corridor’.

OC MediaAytan Farhadova

‘Or another option in light of the intention of Armenian leaders to engage with the European Union — you can contact the EU directly, they like to help candidates for paradise with money and weapons. The European Union has excellent Ukrainian experience behind it,’ Medvedev said.