EU Supports Armenia's Accession Aspirations

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Antoine Schibler

JAKARTA - European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos confirmed that the European Union would support Armenia's desire to become a member of the bloc.

"Only the Armenian people can determine their future. The last meeting of the European Political Community and also the EU-Armenia Summit show the direction they want to take, and Europe will support them," Kos said ahead of the meeting of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Monday, May 11.

Previously, on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that Armenia's plan to join the European Union be discussed at the next summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly expressed his country's desire to become a member of the European Union, but it still has to meet various standards set by the bloc.

In a conversation with Pashinyan on April 1, Putin stressed that Armenia's simultaneous membership in the EU and EAEU customs unions was not possible.

Putin also said it would be more appropriate if Yerevan held a referendum on the development of cooperation with the European Union.

According to him, if that happens, Russia as Armenia's main economic partner can take appropriate steps and pursue a "peaceful, prudent, and mutually beneficial separation."