Pashinyan Says Armenia Could Formally Apply to Join the EU in 2027 or 2028
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan calls a formal EU application in 2027 or 2028 “realistic.” It is his clearest timeline yet, weeks after he said Armenia was not ready to join.
Choose Clash Report as a preferred source and see our reporting first in Top Stories.
Yerevan has not yet filed an EU membership application, but its prime minister now puts a window on one: 2027 or 2028. The timeline, given in Brussels on Tuesday, is the most specific Nikol Pashinyan has offered.
It comes about three weeks after he said Armenia was not ready to join. Moscow maintains that EU membership cannot be reconciled with Armenia’s place in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
A Timeline Takes Shape
Pashinyan spoke at the Euronews EU Enlargement Summit and in an interview with Euronews, which described a formal application in either year as “realistic.”
“Next year we can be realistic. 2028 can be realistic,” he said. “We started the process which will bring us to the final decision to submit application for formal membership of European Union.”
Asked whether Armenia could file this year, he said: “I don’t know how realistic that is, but next year could be realistic.” That is from a video clip posted by Clash Report. Aurora News and RIA Novosti reported the same remark.
No date is fixed. Pashinyan told the summit the timing had been discussed with European partners that day, Armenpress reported. He said a filing should come with political dialogue, not as a technical step of pressing “send.”
“I have no doubt that the time will come, and it is not far off,” he said.
Visa Talks Come First
For now, Yerevan is focused on its visa liberalization dialogue with the European Commission. Its target is to complete the process in 2029, Euronews reported.
Pashinyan said relations between Armenia and the EU are at their “highest level ever.” He also pointed to “certain signs” of strong political will for enlargement inside the bloc, which he said could bring Armenian and EU expectations into line.
He noted that the law parliament passed in March 2025 to launch the accession process is now in force.
From “Not Ready” to a Window
The tone has shifted. In an RFI interview published on Oct. 12, Pashinyan was more cautious.
“If you ask me whether Armenia is ready to become an EU member today, I would say no,” he said, citing reforms still needed to meet the criteria. He added that applying “simply for the sake of it does not make much sense.”
A referendum this year was unrealistic because Armenia had not applied, he said. Asked whether Armenia ultimately intended to apply, he replied: “Yes, amongst other things.”
Presenting his government’s 2026–2031 program to parliament on Aug. 24, he said the process would begin “in the near future.” He described a sequence of an application, an EU response, a roadmap and then a referendum, Anadolu reported. Clash Report covered those remarks at the time.
Moscow Draws a Line
Russia treats the choice as binary. President Vladimir Putin has said Armenia’s accession law effectively amounted to an application to leave the EAEU, CivilNet reported.
On May 29, the leaders of the bloc’s four other members called for a nationwide referendum on joining the EU or staying in the EAEU “within the shortest possible timeframe,” Pashinyan told parliament in August.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, went further on Oct. 4. “The worst thing that could happen to Armenia is its transformation into a new Ukraine,” he told Iranian state television, according to CivilNet.
Pashinyan rejected the comparison in Brussels. “Our goal is to level up, to develop our independence. And that is a legitimate goal,” he said.
Euronews said Russia has threatened retaliation, most notably by cutting off Armenia’s energy supply. Pashinyan said his government aims to diversify its political and economic relations. “If there is no balance in any relations, there is always a risk,” he said.
He acknowledged the trade-off between EU membership and the EAEU, and said it would be for Armenians to choose.
At a CIS summit in Turkmenistan on Oct. 9, Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko joked about Pashinyan: “He’s not going anywhere. He won’t get away from us.”
A Strategic Choice
Pashinyan framed the EU path as a way to protect Armenian democracy. “For our people, democracy isn’t a matter of circumstances. It is a strategic choice,” he said.
His first aim, he said, is to give Armenians an alternative, challenging a long-held perception that the country has none. He cited Georgia’s drive for full EU membership as an inspiration.
Euronews framed the move as one that would pull Armenia out of Russia’s orbit and towards Brussels.
Pashinyan secured a new mandate in June. His Civil Contract party took 49.75% of the vote and 64 of 105 seats in the June 7 parliamentary election, the Central Electoral Commission said. The Strong Armenia Alliance won 29 seats and the Armenia Alliance 12.
The Regional Backdrop
A peace treaty with Azerbaijan is initialed but unsigned. Pashinyan said on Oct. 22 it could be signed in 2027–2028, Armenpress reported.
Baku says it will not sign until Armenia amends its constitution. Yerevan denies the document contains territorial claims.
On Oct. 28, parliament voted 63–32 to ratify the U.S.–Armenia framework for the Trump Route (TRIPP), the transit corridor agreed at a Washington summit in August 2025.
Kamer Kurunç
Kamer Kurunç is the Team Leader of Clash Report and has led the outlet for four years. He oversees its breaking world news coverage, from the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war to defense and global politics. His focus is fast, verified, source-based reporting. Follow him on X at @kamerknc.
Choose Clash Report as a preferred source and see our reporting first in Top Stories.