Armenia not ready for EU membership, Pashinyan says, but option remains open

Armenia is not ready to join the European Union at this stage, but EU membership remains one of the country’s foreign policy options, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with Radio France Internationale.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend a press conference with European Council President during the Armenia-European Union summit in Yerevan on May 5, 2026.

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP

Asked whether Armenia would hold a referendum on leaving the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Pashinyan said the country would first need to apply for EU membership before taking such a step.

He said Armenia needed to carry out substantial reforms to meet EU standards before it could become a member. Pashinyan added that the Armenian government’s strategic goal was to create alternatives for the country and its people.

“Our goal is to ensure that the Armenian population can decide whether Armenia will remain a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, join the European Union, or belong to neither the EU nor the Eurasian Economic Union. In any case, we will implement reforms to bring the country into line with EU standards. One option is for the Republic of Armenia to become a member of the European Union. Why do I say one of the options? Because the EU has not yet made a decision on its enlargement policy. The desire of a country seeking membership, or the efforts of a state working toward that goal, are not enough on their own. Even within the EU, there are differing views on whether the bloc should expand,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian prime minister also said his government had no intention of severing ties with Russia or allowing relations to deteriorate deliberately. However, he said Armenian-Russian relations would not return to their previous state, noting that Armenia had been in conflict with Azerbaijan in the past, while Yerevan and Baku are now at peace.

“We want to strengthen, consolidate and develop our independence. That is why we have adopted a balanced foreign policy. We want our businesses to have alternatives for both exports and imports. For example, Armenia’s market for gasoline and petroleum product imports was previously highly concentrated. Changes in such circumstances created major problems for us. In recent years, dozens of companies, rather than just a few, have imported petroleum products into Armenia. This has allowed us to avoid crises linked to global oil product market disruptions that have affected other countries,” Pashinyan said.

An article written by თამარ ტყემალაძე (GPB), initially published on 12 October 2026, 15:32 (CEST)