Armenia Considering EU Membership Application, Foreign Minister Mirzoyan

YEREVAN — Armenia is considering applying to join the European Union, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Friday in an interview with Turkey’s TRT World television on the sidelines of the March 1-3 Antalya Diplomatic Forum..

“Many new opportunities are largely being discussed in Armenia nowadays, and it will not be a secret if I say [there is] an idea that includes membership in the European Union,” Mirzoyan said.

“The people of Armenia do have European aspirations…we are passing through a process…and no one can be sure or predict the end of this process,” he said.

His remarks follow reports in the Armenian press that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan plans to start the EU application process by late 2024.

Responding to a question about normalization process between Armenia and Turkey, Mirzoyan stated that “Many things have already been done, many things are being discussed, many things are agreed, but still are not done, for instance, the opening of the border for third-country nationals, but also Armenian and Turkish citizens who hold diplomatic passports. This was agreed, unfortunately, this is not realized yet, but hopefully will be done in near future. And there are also some other confidence-building measures, on which we already agreed, like a joint project regarding the Ani bridge, the historical recovery and of the historical bridge, etc. So I would say knock on the wood, again we are in the middle of the process, but it’s also, already time to see very tangible things happening on the ground”.