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The bill formally endorsed by the Armenian government on January 9 was drafted by several pro-Western political and civic groups largely loyal to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. They collected last year 60,000 signatures in support of their demands for a referendum on joining the EU.

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“I would like to emphasize that the adoption of the bill in itself does not constitute an application for Armenia’s membership in the European Union,” Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisian said during a two-day parliament debate on the issue.

Hovannisian told lawmakers that the bill is only designed to send a “clear message to the European side about moving our partnership to a qualitatively new stage.”

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Russia has warned that the launch of the EU accession process will mark the “beginning of Armenia’s withdrawal from the EEU [Eurasian Economic (EEU), a Russian-led trade bloc].” That exit, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, would push up the cost of Russian natural gas and food imported by Armenia and cause a sharp decline in Armenian exports. Armenian officials have responded by emphasizing that Yerevan has no plans yet to leave the EEU.

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