Deepening Armenia’s ties with the European Union

“We intend to get as close to the European Union as the EU deems possible,” Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at the Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting in Brussels. Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made the same statement at the European Parliament.

Mirzoyan welcomed the decision to grant Georgia the status of candidate country and to start membership talks with Moldova and Ukraine, and said that the people of Armenia have also chosen this path. Armenia will continue the “irreversible path of democratization and reforms” with the support of the EU, Mirzoyan assured.

Meanwhile, political analyst Hrachya Arzumanyan believes that as long as there is a Russian military base and Russian FSB officers in Armenia, the West will be suspicious of the country’s inclusion in the European family. In his opinion, in order to become a “potential ally” of the European Union, Yerevan must “break out of the Eurasian camp” and end its national security relations with Russia.

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The number of EU civilian observers monitoring the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will increase from 138 to 209, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.

“The increase in the number of the observer mission is important. It is an opportunity to contribute to stability on Armenia’s international border with Azerbaijan.”

He believes that the decision can be considered a “first step” in deepening Armenia-EU cooperation.

As expected, the Russian side reacted negatively to the EU decision.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin called it a “completely useless step” and the expansion of the mission will not contribute to the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, but only increase tensions in the Transcaucasus.

“We are convinced that the expansion of the EU mission will not yield any result in terms of promoting the Azerbaijani-Armenian settlement, the basic principles of which were worked out in November 2020 by the top leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia and enshrined in several trilateral joint statements.”

Recently, EU officials have often said that the possibility of assisting the Armenian army in a “non-lethal format” through the European Peace Facility is being considered.

The support is being discussed by member states taking into account Armenia’s “most pressing needs,” EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano said.

“It could be a field hospital, defense equipment, but it could also enhance the ability to fight cyberattacks and disinformation. The spectrum is very wide,” he explained.

A technical mission in Armenia is expected to develop concrete proposals for “non-lethal format” assistance.

Armenia cannot afford the “luxury of small steps” and must decide to make big, systemic changes, says national security expert and political scientist Hrachya Arzumanyan. Otherwise, the country will not be able to withstand military actions threatening it.

According to the political scientist, the first step should be to cut military ties with Russia. He warns that Armenia has little time for that. Arzumanyan believes that with the announcement of a truce on the Russian-Ukrainian front, the South Caucasus will become the target:

“The potential that operates on the Ukrainian front will be directed at us, we will feel this force immediately in diplomatic, military and other spheres. We should take steps as soon as possible, try to convince Europe that we can join Georgia, so that the process that started in Georgia will continue in Armenia”.

The political analyst emphasizes that the path will not be easy, Armenia will need at least 5-10 years to reform the military sphere, and that if this path is not followed, it will not be possible to preserve the country’s sovereignty.

In his opinion, it is necessary to take advantage of the created “window of opportunity” and strengthen ties with the European democratic camp, as long as the interests of Armenia and the West coincide.

The expert cites the example of Finland, which was able to become a NATO member, arguing the danger the country faces due to the war in Ukraine.

“We should realize that we have very little time to end our military ties with Russia in the easiest and softest way possible,” he said.

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