Speaking during a conference in Brussels, Pashinian said the Armenian government may formally apply for EU membership as early as next year.
“Recently we saw some good news in the European Union because before that there was a hesitation [about] whether the EU is willing to enlarge,” he told the “enlargement summit” organized by the Euronews TV channel. “But now we see some indications that maybe there is a strong political will in the EU to enlarge.”
“To be honest, I have no doubt that the time [to apply for EU membership] will come and that is not very far [off,]” he said, speaking in English.
When asked by a conference moderator whether Yerevan could make a formal membership bid before the end of this year, Pashinian said: “I don’t know how realistic it is, but next year can be realistic, 2028 can be realistic.”
“Two of our four neighbors are candidate countries for the European Union. I mean Turkey and Georgia. And it is a benefit for our European policy. And hopefully Armenia will be the third candidate country in our region,” added Pashinian.
Amid rising Russian-Armenian tensions, Pashinian’s political team enacted in April 2025 a law declaring the “start of a process of Armenia's accession to the European Union.” Russia denounced the law, saying that it is at odds with the South Caucasus nation’s continued membership in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian at the Kremlin, Moscow, April 1, 2026.
It was not until this spring that Moscow began seriously pressuring the Armenian government to quickly choose between the two blocs. Yerevan remains reluctant to make such a choice now, mindful of the Armenian economy’s heavy dependence on Russia.
In May, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan joined their Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in calling for an Armenian referendum on the issue. The four leaders also instructed their prime ministers to present a report on “possible consequences” of Armenia’s suspension from the EEU in time for their next summit planned for December.
The resulting report released on October 20 effectively recommended a membership suspension. Pashinian insisted afterwards that his country is resilient enough to cope with a loss of tariff-free access to the Russian market and a sharp rise in the price of Russian natural gas imported by it.
He also claimed that the report is part of a “secret plan” aimed at “inciting internal political instability” and “stripping Armenia of its independence.” The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the “groundless accusations.”