In this clip from episode #313, we discuss Pashinyan’s bold move towards EU membership is risking its relationships with key allies like Russia and neighboring Iran. Recent statements hint at Armenia’s serious consideration of joining the EU, alongside actions like freezing activity in the CSTO and inviting Russian forces out of an airport.
Join us as we navigate the risks and uncertainties surrounding Armenia’s daring foreign policy decisions.
Listen to the segment and/or read the transcript below.
Hovik: Mirzoyan said a few other things that I think are interesting that underline the U-turn in Armenia’s foreign policy. He said that Armenia is significantly deepening its relations with the EU and potential membership in the EU is also being discussed. I believe this has been the most clear statement from Armenian foreign policy officials to date, indicating that Armenia is actually seriously considering requesting EU membership, even though we got many different hints in the past.
And this is all in the backdrop of other moves Armenia has made, such as freezing its activity in the CSTO, threatening to leave the CSTO and also inviting the Russians out of the Zvartnots airport, where they have customs control duties under an agreement, bilateral agreement.
In the past, Pashinyan has said that Armenia would develop its relations as closely with the EU as the latter deems possible. And there were also unconfirmed reports this week in Armenian media that Pashinyan has met with the civil contract team and informed them that they will need to submit an application to join the EU by the end of the year. So that’s very interesting. We’ll see how that develops. So things are moving fast. And my question to you, Dziunik, is how do we decipher all of this? How likely do you think is actually Armenia’s potential request to officially join the EU this year?
Dziunik: Well, as I explained the whole situation, the plan was to bring the South Caucasus total, the whole South Caucasus under the Western umbrella. And part of the whole process is EU, because you cannot jump being a member of the CSTO, you cannot immediately jump into a NATO membership. So this EU membership is an intermediate step that has to be fulfilled. And, you know, I don’t know.
But my belief is that this whole talk will become useless in several months. I depict the EU as the sinking Titanic, and I don’t know why our government is actually trying to run and jump onto the board of this sinking vessel when I don’t think it will even survive the post-Ukrainian stage. So whatever is being done will take time.
And I think the geopolitical developments are speeding up to the actually rocketing to unbelievable stage. And I think the whole realpolitik will change the situation and the picture, which we cannot understand right now, because the social upheavals in Europe will change the picture.
The elections that are going on throughout the whole major player countries will change the political picture in those countries and change the positioning of those countries.
I don’t think that by the end of this year, we will have the same talk because the situation will be different. But the question is, where will Armenia be and how complete it will be? Will it survive this whole situation? And if we manage to get rid of this government or this political party sitting on top of us, actually cutting the branch that we are sitting on as a country and as people, if we manage to get rid of them, then we will survive. If we don’t, I don’t know what status we will be in.
NOTE: The above is a preliminary transcript and may contain errors.