Armenian parliament votes to seek EU membership, a sign of distancing itself from Moscow

Armenia's parliament has taken another step in the country's turn toward the West, approving a draft law calling on the government to seek membership in the European Union (EU).

The passage of the law in its second and final reading was the latest move away from Russia, as historical ties are being torn apart by what Yerevan says is Moscow's apparent failure to support it in its conflict with neighbor and longtime adversary Azerbaijan.

The law calling on the government of this South Caucasian country to begin the EU accession process was passed on March 26 with 64 votes in favor, all from the ruling Civic Contract party, with seven votes against from opposition MPs.

"We submitted this bill so that the Republic of Armenia can express its political will to move towards the European Union. This process is irreversible. The people are calling for it," said Artak Zejnalian, a former justice minister who represents a group advocating membership in the 27-nation bloc.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan supported the draft in January, but stressed that joining the EU would require a referendum. Armenia would also have to carry out major reforms in the judicial system and other areas to have a chance of joining the 27-nation bloc.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought several wars over the past three decades over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has been a majority ethnic Armenian enclave since the collapse of the Soviet Union and is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory.

After Baku took full control of the region in a lightning, one-day military offensive in September 2023, nearly 100.000 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Yerevan accused Russia, which had nearly 2.000 troops stationed in the region, of doing nothing to prevent the fighting and the ensuing exodus.

A few days after the attack, Pashinyan said in a televised address that Armenia's existing security alliances, reliance on Russia and the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), were "ineffective" and "insufficient."

In February 2024, Pashinyan froze Armenia's participation in the CSTO. It also joined the International Criminal Court, meaning it would be expected to comply with an ICC warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin if he visited, and it has deepened its defense ties with France.

Armenia held military exercises with US troops in June 2024 and signed a strategic partnership agreement with the United States this January, a week before US President Donald Trump took office.

Russia has warned Armenia that turning to the EU could harm it in various ways, especially economically. Alexei Overchuk, Russia's deputy prime minister for Eurasian integration, said in January that starting the EU accession process would mean "starting the process of leaving the Eurasian Economic Union," a customs and trade alliance led by Moscow, adding that the country cannot be a member of both blocs.

Last week, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that Armenia risks losing duty-free trade with Russia and a potential increase in Russian natural gas prices, and that Russia could expel large numbers of Armenian migrant workers.

Armenia and Azerbaijan announced last week that they had finalized the text of a historic peace agreement, although it remains unclear exactly when their leaders will sign it.