Pashinyan makes several key statements
Armenia will soon begin the process of submitting an official application to join the European Union. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this during an address to the national parliament.
Referendum on the EAEU and the EU
Addressing demands from Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) partners to hold a referendum and decide Armenia’s alignment, Pashinyan indicated that such an issue cannot be rushed. He stated that Armenia must first submit its application, receive a response from the EU, and coordinate a timeline for potential accession before a referendum can be held.
NEWSROOM IN notes that in May 2026, the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan urged Armenia in a joint statement to hold a referendum promptly, arguing that its EU ambitions pose “significant economic security risks” to EAEU member states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also stated that concurrent membership in the EAEU and the EU is impossible: “We will essentially be forced to shut down practically all of our economic cooperation with Armenia regarding integration processes [in the EAEU].“
In response, Pashinyan stated that Armenia cannot be expelled from the EAEU because all decisions within the bloc require consensus. He noted that “Armenia has veto power, just like all other countries.”
CSTO withdrawal, transfer of railways from Russian Railways, end of the “Karabakh Project”
Regarding membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Pashinyan stated he would welcome Armenia’s formal expulsion from the bloc. The country has already frozen its participation in the alliance.
The prime minister also called for transferring the management of Armenia’s rail infrastructure to a third party, stating that current management by Russian Railways hinders integration into the international rail network. He noted that implementing the US-backed “Trump International Path of Peace and Prosperity” project—a transit corridor connecting Turkey and Azerbaijan through Armenian territory—would grant Yerevan access to railway networks in Iran and Central Asia and restore links with Russia.
Pashinyan also reiterated that Armenia has renounced all territorial claims against Azerbaijan and has abandoned the Karabakh Project.
