Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia’s strategic partnership agenda with the European Union is being implemented at a visible pace.
Presenting the government program in parliament, he said that the law adopted last year on launching the process of Armenia’s accession to the EU gave new momentum to the process.
“Armenia is currently the only country with which the European Union is holding active negotiations on visa liberalization, and we intend to achieve visa liberalization with the European Union during 2029,” he said.
Pashinyan said that closer relations with the EU have caused certain concerns in Russia.
“In my opinion, the development of our relations with the European Union has actually given rise to this, but is not its underlying cause. The fundamental reason for the concerns that have emerged in Russia is the transformation that has begun in Armenia-Russia relations. Moreover, this transformation is not someone’s whim, but, by and large, a natural process,” the prime minister said, adding that Armenia-Russia relations are one thing under conditions of conflict and quite another when peace has been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, while there is no tension at all in Armenia-Türkiye relations and the outlook is positive.
“Due to objective and subjective historical circumstances, our relations with Russia have mainly been perceived through the lens of military and security issues. For two centuries, Armenian-Russian relations have been built on the basis and understanding that Russia is the guarantor of the security of the Armenian people and, subsequently, the Republic of Armenia. I have never doubted Russia’s commitment to fulfilling this role, but the events of 2021, 2022 and 2023 showed that, due to having its own security problems, the Russian Federation can sometimes face significant limitations in fulfilling that role,” Pashinyan added.
