The Armenian Parliament has approved the draft law ‘On the beginning of the process of accession of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union’ in the second and final reading, News.am reports.
Sixty-four MPs spoke in favour, seven against. The document was supported in the first reading on 12 February.
In January, the draft was approved by the Armenian government. In order for it to be considered by the parliament, the initiators, the association of parties ‘Platform of Democratic Forces’, needed to collect 50 thousand signatures, it collected 60 thousand for two months.
The country’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke of the strengthening of the EU’s ‘political support for Armenia’, which manifested itself, for example, in the deployment of a civilian observer mission in the country and Brussels’ readiness to support the strengthening of Armenia’s economic sustainability. ‘Armenia is ready to be as close to the EU as the EU considers possible. I am referring to the start of visa liberalisation and a number of other instruments that have been used or are being discussed with the EU,’ Mirzoyan also said.
In January, against the backdrop of the endorsement of the idea of Armenia joining the EU, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov reminded that Yerevan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and this gives Armenia ‘very positive dividends.’ He also noted that it is impossible to be members of two different organisations at the same time, as the EAEU has its own ‘customs space, a zone of free movement of goods, services, people, capital, there [dans l’UE] is different, there are other norms’.
Yerevan noted that it is not going to replace cooperation with the EAEU with any other against the background of the launch of the EU accession process, but diversification of trade partners is important for the country.
