Armenia Hosts A Historic European Union Summit As The Country Charts A Course Away From Russia

YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia hosts its first bilateral acme pinch nan European Union connected Tuesday, a landmark negotiated infinitesimal for nan Caucasus Mountains federation that has formally declared its ambition to subordinate nan bloc and is cautiously loosening its ties pinch longtime state Russia.

The EU-Armenia acme successful Yerevan follows nan eighth gathering of nan European Political Community, aliases EPC, which brought dozens of European leaders to nan Armenian superior connected Monday to reside European defense issues and nan Iran war.

Meanwhile, Tuesday’s bilateral gathering saw Armenia and nan EU motion a connectivity business to fortify economical ties and deepen information cooperation.

The 2 events underscore really Armenia is seeking to move westward and shed Russia’s influence. Armenia’s relations pinch Moscow, its longtime sponsor and ally, person grown progressively strained since 2023, erstwhile neighboring Azerbaijan afloat reclaimed nan Karabakh region and ended nan decadeslong norm by taste Armenian separatists.

Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers who were deployed to nan region of failing to extremity Azerbaijan’s onslaught. Moscow, engaged pinch nan warfare successful Ukraine, rejected nan accusations, arguing that its troops didn’t person a instruction to intervene.

The warfare was “a belated objection that Russia is dangerously unreliable arsenic a partner,” Richard Giragosian, head of nan Regional Studies Center successful Yerevan, told The Associated Press.

Pursuing ties pinch Europe

Since then, nan authorities of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has pursued person ties pinch nan West, a move welcomed by nan 27-nation EU.

The opening ceremonial of nan EU-Armenia acme connected Tuesday saw European Council President António Costa locomotion nan reddish carpet broadside by broadside pinch Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while a subject set played successful beforehand of Armenian and EU flags.

In her opening statement, von der Leyen said that Europe was fresh to assistance Armenia successful becoming a location hub for world waste and acquisition routes, including nan building of beingness infrastructure.

“We’re fresh to put successful nan section power accumulation and nan power links crossed nan Black Sea, and we are fresh to link your booming integer segment to Europe’s integer marketplace and move Armenia’s position astatine nan bosom of this region into a centrifugal of growth,” she said.

The caller EU-Armenia connectivity business will attraction connected strengthening transportation, power and integer links. Meanwhile, EU investments successful Armenia are expected to scope $2.9 cardinal nether its world gateway infrastructure program, some sides said successful a associated statement.

“Today’s EU-Armenia acme sends a clear awesome of nan EU’s patient committedness to deepen our relations pinch Armenia, and to fortify practice crossed galore caller areas,” Costa said. “Bringing Armenia and its group person to nan European Union.”

Symbolic moves

The EU, alternatively than nan United States, has stepped into nan vacuum near by Russia, Giragosian said.

“EU engagement is overmuch much prudent and overmuch much productive than nan U.S. becoming involved, simply because European engagement is little provocative to Russia complete nan longer term,” he said.

In 2025, Armenia’s parliament passed a rule formally declaring nan country’s volition to activity EU membership.

However, Giragosian described Tuesday’s acme arsenic “a attraction connected deepening nan preexisting relationship” alternatively than a measurement toward candidacy, referencing nan Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement that has governed EU-Armenia ties since afloat taking effect successful 2021.

“The symbolic value is overmuch greater arsenic a connection to Russia,” he said.

Armenia has besides taken different symbolic steps. It joined nan International Criminal Court successful 2023, a move that Moscow condemned arsenic an “unfriendly step.” The tribunal has issued an apprehension warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of individual work for nan abductions of children from Ukraine.

Armenia besides froze its information successful nan Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization successful 2024.

However, Armenia remains a personnel of nan Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, aliases EEU, a azygous marketplace allowing nan free activity of goods, superior and labor. The statement besides includes Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — and Putin has made nan trade-offs plain.

Speaking astatine talks pinch Pashinyan successful Moscow earlier this year, Putin warned that Armenia couldn’t simultaneously beryllium to some nan EEU and nan EU, noting that Yerevan presently receives Russian earthy state astatine prices acold beneath European marketplace rates. Pashinyan acknowledged nan incompatibility, but said that Armenia could, for now, harvester EEU rank pinch deepening EU cooperation.

Pashinyan, who has been successful agency since 2018 and faces a parliamentary predetermination successful June, stands to use politically from nan world floor plan of nan European meetings. Giragosian said that Pashinyan’s authorities is apt to beryllium reelected mostly by default, pinch nan guidance incapable to connection a reliable replacement program.

But Giragosian warned against framing Armenia’s overseas argumentation arsenic purely a pivot from Russia to nan West.

“Armenia is besides pivoting beyond nan achromatic and achromatic zero-sum crippled paradigm,” he said, pointing to important negotiated finance successful Asia, including pinch Japan, South Korea and China. “This is not astir replacing Russia pinch nan West. This is overmuch much innovative, overmuch much sophisticated.”

Heightened tensions

The acme besides comes astatine a infinitesimal of negotiated strains betwixt Azerbaijan and nan EU. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned nan EU ambassador past week to protestation a European Parliament solution demanding nan merchandise of Armenian prisoners of warfare and criticizing nan curen of Armenians successful Karabakh. Lawmakers successful Azerbaijan subsequently voted to suspend each practice pinch nan European Parliament.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who addressed nan EPC convention via video link, accused nan European Parliament and nan Parliamentary Assembly for nan Council of Europe, aliases PACE, of “double standards” for placing sanctions connected Azerbaijan’s delegation.

There were besides protests extracurricular nan EPC acme venue, which was surrounded by tight security. Demonstrators held photos of Armenian prisoners being held successful Azerbaijan.

Opposition leader Aram Sargsyan, caput of nan Democratic Party of Armenia, told nan Armenian Press Agency that nan European officials were voicing support for Pashinyan earlier nan predetermination and person “forgotten astir nan Armenians successful situation successful Azerbaijan.”

Morton and Carlson constitute for nan Associated Press. Morton reported from London. AP writers Avet Demourian successful Yerevan, and Katie Marie Davies successful Manchester, England, contributed to this report.