The National Assembly of Armenia has passed a final resolution to join the European Union (EU), despite Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s decision to improve relations with Russia. The resolution was adopted earlier today, on March 26, as reported by the RIA Novosti news agency.
«Sixty-four deputies voted in favor of the law, while seven voted against it. The resolution has been adopted,» the agency cited Alen Simonyan, president of the assembly.
The resolution declares the country’s intention to join the EU, promoting the move as the right path to Armenia’s prosperity.
Last week, Pashinyan decided to restore ties with Russia and instructed government agencies to immediately start working on this issue, citing the global geopolitical situation.
Notably, Pashinyan stated last summer that Armenia planned to leave the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance led by Russia. In December, he declared that «the point of no return has been passed,» emphasizing that the country’s authorities had frozen their participation in the alliance.
On Jan. 9, Armenia’s cabinet approved draft legislation on the country’s joining the EU when the document was submitted to parliament for consideration. Later, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for the Russian president, stated that Armenia has a sovereign right to make such a decision but emphasized that it is impossible to be a member of two different alliances. At the time, Armenia’s cabinet clarified that the country was not planning to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
