The Armenian Parliament voted for joining the European Union
The Armenian Parliament adopted a bill on the beginning of the process of the country's accession to the EU. 63 deputies voted for the initiative, seven voted against. Representatives of the opposition bloc "Armenia" did not participate in the vote.
The document was submitted on behalf of public organizations that collected 60 thousand signatures. According to the Constitution, this is more than enough: 50 signatures are needed to submit a law for consideration by parliament.
On January 9, the Armenian government approved the launch of the country's accession process to the EU. At the same time, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the final decision should be approved by a national referendum.
Moscow did not ignore Yerevan's actions.
"There are political forces in Armenia that believe that the path to the EU will give dividends to Yerevan. Russia believes that Armenia continues to receive dividends from membership in the EAEU, and they are more than obvious," said presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Russia has repeatedly warned that Armenia will not be able to be a member of the European Union and the EAEU at the same time. The Armenian Foreign Ministry, in turn, emphasized that the country should take advantage of integration with both the EAEU and the EU. Deputy Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan recalled that in 2017, Armenia, while in the EAEU, signed a comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement (CEPA) with the EU. According to him, this also seemed impossible back then.
