The Armenian government’s press office cited Gert Jan Koopman, the visiting head of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighborhood, as calling Yerevan a “reliable and trustworthy partner” during talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
“He positively assessed the law ‘On the Launch of the Process of Armenia's Membership in the European Union’ recently adopted by the Armenian National Assembly, noting that it is an important message that testifies to the sincerity and consistency of Armenia's European choice,” the office said in its readout of the talks.
It did not say whether Koopman encouraged the Armenian government to formally apply for EU membership. It was also not clear whether Pashinian discussed such a possibility with him. The Armenian premier was only reported to reaffirm his government’s “commitment to deepen and expand cooperation [with the EU] in all directions.”
Government officials have emphasized that the law does not amount to an EU membership bid. They have still not clarified what concrete steps stemming from it Yerevan is planning to take next. Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service late last week that no such steps have been taken so far.
The EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos commented cautiously on the issue earlier this month. “We haven’t got the [membership] application yet, but then we will see,” she said.
Russia has warned that the launch of the EU accession process will mark the “beginning of Armenia's withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union,” a trade bloc that gives the South Caucasus nation a tariff-free access to the Russian market.
Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said in March that Moscow would retaliate by not only imposing hefty tariffs on Armenian products but also deporting scores of Armenian migrant workers. Armenia will lose at least one-third of its Gross Domestic Product as a result, he said.