A referendum on Armenia’s membership in the European Union will become possible only after Armenia submits a formal application to the EU, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told reporters following an expanded meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.
“Of course, there will be a referendum, but after Armenia formally applies for membership in the European Union, and institutional work must be carried out around that. Holding a referendum today is impossible because there is no subject for such a referendum,” he said, Factor.am reports.
According to the prime minister, if a referendum were held at this stage, citizens would ask about concrete prospects and a roadmap for EU membership, while answers to those questions do not yet exist.
Pashinyan stressed that Armenia’s policy is aimed at diversifying its foreign relations and creating alternatives, which is the legitimate right of any sovereign state.
Addressing Russia’s restrictions on Armenian goods, Pashinyan said they were creating a negative perception of the EAEU.
“What is happening now with Armenian goods is a problem for Armenia, but it is an even bigger problem for the EAEU, because in practice it turns out that the EAEU is not working. If the principles do not work, it means the EAEU does not work,” he said.
The prime minister added that the Armenian side had taken positively statements by some EAEU partners that “nobody is waiting for Armenia anywhere” and was actively working to prove the opposite.
