The Democratic Forces Platform has launched a petition for Armenia’s membership in the European Union, announced platform coordinator Hovsep Khurshudyan today.
Aram Sargsyan, the leader of the “Republic” party, which is part of the platform, emphasized the necessity of this initiative, stating that it is a step towards enhancing Armenia’s security.
Sargsyan detailed the processes that followed the initiative, including parliamentary hearings and the Prime Minister’s address on the matter. He also mentioned a meeting with Security Minister Armen Grigoryan, who acknowledged the persuasiveness of their arguments and promised to discuss the issue within the “Civil Contract” party.
However, yesterday, the chairman of the parliamentary committee on European integration, Arman Yeghoyan, informed them that the arguments presented were unconvincing and that the party does not deem it appropriate to address the issue at this time. He added that they would revisit the matter in a few years when Armenia meets European standards.
In response, Aram Sargsyan asserted that Armenia cannot meet European standards until it becomes part of Europe.
Earlier, BMG reported that Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, highly praised the decisions made by the European Union at the foreign ministers' level to provide Armenia with assistance through the European Peace Facility and to initiate a dialogue on visa liberalization.
On July 17, the European Union at the ambassadorial level of all member states approved the European Commission's proposal to start negotiations with Armenia on visa liberalization.
These decisions were made in the context of recent talks between Yerevan and Brussels. In October last year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated in the European Parliament that Armenia is ready to be closer to the European Union as much as the European Union considers it possible. A few months after this statement, Pashinyan expressed doubts about whether the EU is ready to accept Armenia as a full member.
