Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan does not see the need for a referendum on European Union membership, stating that he "knows the opinion of the people."
"Recently, we witnessed parliamentary hearings. The main idea was: let's hold a referendum to give the people the opportunity to support this idea. I myself stated from the European Parliament podium that Armenia is ready to be as close to the European Union as the EU deems possible. If I thought the people of Armenia did not support this idea, I would not have made such a statement. As an official authorized to represent the people of Armenia, I know the opinion of the people of Armenia," Pashinyan said on July 1 at the Armenian Forum for Democracy.
According to the Prime Minister, the main issue with holding a referendum lies in the lack of an answer to the question of whether the European Union is ready to accept Armenia.
"Today, if we hold a referendum, we need to conduct a campaign. When we start the campaign, citizens will ask us questions: how, when, does the European Union want this or not, is the European Union ready? I cannot answer this question today because processes are also taking place within the EU that need to be assessed. Elections are being held in EU countries, the results of which raise certain questions," Pashinyan noted.
Earlier, speaking at the European Parliament in October 2023, Pashinyan stated that Armenia is ready to be as close to the EU as the EU considers possible.
On June 21, the National Assembly of Armenia held hearings on the issue of a referendum on EU membership. A few days after the hearings, on June 27, National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, during a visit to Latvia, stated that a referendum on this issue would be held soon: "Our parliament discussed the topic of holding a referendum on Armenia's EU membership. I think that we will have this referendum in the near future, and I am sure that our people will say 'yes'."
