Armenia may submit an official application to join the European Union in 2027 or 2028, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Euronews summit on EU enlargement. “Maybe we will do it this year. I don’t know how realistic that is, but next year may be realistic. 2028 may be realistic,” he said.
According to Pashinyan, Yerevan has already launched a process that should lead to a final decision on submitting an application for full membership. No official application has been submitted yet: Armenia is currently focused on talks with the European Commission on visa liberalization, which the parties expect to complete by 2029.
“Democracy is a strategic choice”
The Armenian prime minister stressed that, for his country, the drive to move closer to Europe is primarily linked to protecting the democratic reforms launched after the 2018 “Velvet Revolution.” “For our people, democracy is not a matter of circumstances. It is a strategic choice,” he said, describing the European Union as one of Armenia’s main partners in implementing its democratic reform program.
According to Pashinyan, the first goal of his government is to create an alternative for Armenian citizens and diversify the country’s political and economic ties. The final choice of path, he noted, remains with the Armenian people. The prime minister previously acknowledged that Armenia cannot simultaneously be a full member of the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
The timeline shifts
The new timeline differs markedly from Yerevan’s previous statements: in October 2025, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said the application could be submitted in November 2025 or in 2026. In August of this year, Pashinyan told parliament that the government intended to submit the application “in the near future.” Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly warned Yerevan about the consequences of choosing Brussels, including possible restrictions in the energy sector.
Photo: archive. Video: Euronews
