Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today called on his fellow citizens to discuss the country’s possible membership of the European Union, as the former Soviet Caucasus republic moves further away from Russia’s orbit.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given new impetus to EU enlargement, which has opened accession talks with Kiev and Moldova and granted candidate status to Georgia.

From her side, Armenia steps up steps towards the West blaming Russia, her traditional ally, for abandoning her against her strong Azeri opponent.

Nikol Pashinian continued this effort by stating today that the possibility of joining the EU “must become an issue that will be discussed extensively in society”.

The European Parliament this week adopted a resolution calling for closer relations between the EU and Armenia.

“This is a new opportunity to discuss our vision for the future of Armenia,” Nikol Pashinyan said at a cabinet meeting.

His government “has the political will to work for the maximum strengthening of relations between Armenia and the EU,” he said.

The case for an accession has been made several times in recent months by Armenian officials, including the head of diplomacy Ararat Mirzoyan.

At the same time, Yerevan’s relations with Moscow have intensified since Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military seizure of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Nikol Pashinyan, who criticized Russia for doing nothing to prevent that attack, announced in late February that his country was “practically” freezing its participation in a military alliance with that country, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO ).

Yesterday, Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that if Armenia closed the door, it would cause “irreparable damage” to relations between the two countries.