The Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, during his visit to Latvia, stated that "Armenian society has made the decision to become part of the European Union." In his opinion, a referendum on this issue will be held soon, and "the people will say 'yes'."
"The actions taking place in our region are similar to those in Ukraine, only the forces involved are different. We need support to establish long-term peace. We have no territorial claims against our neighbors. All we need is the willingness of the Azerbaijani government to establish peace. And for this, we need the help of Latvia and other European partners. We share the values of Latvia and the EU, so we need support to become a full member of the European Union family," Simonyan said in an interview with Latvian Public Television.
Simonyan also noted that the discussion of holding a referendum on Armenia's EU membership has already taken place in the country's parliament: "A few days ago, our parliament discussed the topic of holding a referendum on Armenia's EU membership. I believe that we will have this referendum in the near future, and I am confident that our people will say 'yes'."
In response to a question about Russia's possible reaction to this decision, Simonyan emphasized: "Regarding Russia's jealousy, one should have been a good partner, protect allies, and be honest with partners. Our society has made the decision to become part of the European Union."
Earlier, BMG reported that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk stated the incompatibility of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union (EU). He emphasized that the arrival of non-regional players in Armenia would have consequences. This was essentially a response to Armenian authorities' statements about the country’s desire to join the EU.
On June 21, the Armenian Parliament held hearings on the referendum regarding the application for EU membership. On February 29, Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen Simonyan announced the country’s readiness to become an EU candidate.
On March 13, the European Parliament supported the proposal to consider granting Armenia candidate status for EU membership. On May 14, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during a panel discussion at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, expressed the desire to see Armenia as a member of the European Union this year.
