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.

“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.”

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.

  • Boomer Humor Doomergod
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    11 day ago

    The EU is gonna have to change its name if it keeps admitting countries that aren’t in Europe.

    • @[email protected]
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      67 hours ago

      Armenia is already part of European organisations like the Council of Europe and it’s grouped with Eastern Europe in the UN.

    • FundMECFS
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      722 hours ago

      keeps admitting

      what countries has the EU admitted that aren’t in europe?

      Anyways, while I’d agree caucasus countries aren’t in geographic europe, they are usually counted in cultural europe.

      • @[email protected]
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        20 hours ago

        what countries has the EU admitted that aren’t in europe?

        France, technically 😅

        Edit: for those not in the know, this is technically as much France as Hawaii is the USA

        They use the Euro there and are in the Union, but it’s safe to say that’s not in continental Europe

        • @[email protected]
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          420 hours ago

          Spain (Ceuta, Melilla, Canary Islands, etc.) and Portugal (Madeira) too then, but most of these countries’ territory is in Europe.

        • FundMECFS
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          621 hours ago

          Eurovision is a popularity song contest, who includes Australia! It’s got little to do with the EU.

      • Boomer Humor Doomergod
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        122 hours ago

        In all for the EU expanding, mine is a problem of nomenclature.

        And yeah the Caucasus are definitely more like Eastern Europe thanks to the Soviet/Russian influence.

        But by that logic Kazakhstan is European. And I look forward to Borat’s reaction to that.