Brussels – The EU and Armenia “have never been closer.” This is the message of hope delivered by High Representative Kaja Kallas in Yerevan, where she conducted a two-day visit that ended today. The Caucasian country is attempting to break free from the Russian orbit and enter the European one, but there is still a long way to go. And it passes through the normalization of relations with neighboring Azerbaijan after decades of war, as well as defense against Russian “hybrid threats.”
Speaking alongside her Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, the twelve-star diplomatic chief announced yesterday (30 June) that the European Commission had “adopted its proposal for the visa liberalization action plan” with the 27 member states, a symbolic first step in continuing to shorten the distance between Yerevan and Brussels.
A step that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan strongly advocated for and whose government had
begun moving in the direction of EU accession in January, securing in March the green light from the national parliament. In the coming months, the population is expected to vote on the issue in a referendum.
It was a great pleasure to welcome HR/VP @kajakallas to Yerevan both for a very timely & symbolic visit, with an enhanced agenda & important deliverables.
We share the vision of deeper partnership & stronger engagement for more resilient democracy & peace. pic.twitter.com/7B4zlgfKzA
– Ararat Mirzoyan (@AraratMirzoyan) June 30, 2025
“The EU and Armenia have never been closer, you have launched the EU accession process, and we welcome your intention to deepen our partnership,” Kallas said. The High Representative also unveiled the imminent launch of a new partnership and the introduction of the Resilience and Growth Plan for 2024-2027, worth approximately EUR 270 million (announced in April 2024), as well as Armenia’s participation in EU missions worldwide.
Brussels’ support for the fragile Caucasian democracy also includes, among other things, the funding of independent media, support for the displaced people of Nagorno-Karabakh – a breakaway province in Azerbaijan with an Armenian majority, at the centre of a decades-long conflict with Baku fall 2023 with the reconquest of the Armenian exclave by the Azerbaijani army – and the military cooperation with the Twenty-Seven.
However, Yerevan’s path to EU membership remains long, bumpy, and uphill. Armenia has a lot to do domestically to align with the acquis communautaire, the body of Union law with which all candidate countries must comply in all areas, from energy to trade via the rule of law.
Then there is the foreign and security policy. At least two swords of Damocles hang over the country led by Pashinyan — the relations with Azerbaijan and Russia. According to Mirzoyan, talks to normalize with Baku are proceeding. The goal is the signing of to sign a peace treaty as soon as possible, perhaps ideally by the end of the year.
Brussels “supports” the process, Kallas reiterated, which must be based on “respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders.” It supports this also, or perhaps above all, “from the point of view of the Central Asia connectivity projects,” i.e., those recently declared projects announced by the EU executive with the Black Sea Strategy that involves, precisely, both Baku and Yerevan.
The ties with Moscow could be even more problematic. The Federation is Armenia’s historic ally (a former Soviet republic still dependent on Russia mainly for exports and energy supplies). Still, Pashinyan has long been trying to disengage Yerevan from the Kremlin and place it in the western orbit.
This is particularly true after the Russian army did not intervene in Nagorno-Karabakh on the side of Armenian separatists, as it should have according to the obligations of the Collective Defense Treaty (CST) to which several former members of the USSR are party. Since February 2024, the Caucasian country has effectively frozen its participation in the military alliance, announcing its intention to withdraw from it as soon as possible.
Also for this reason, Kallas urged her counterpart not to let his guard down and keep an eye on “hybrid threats” posed by the overbearing Russian neighbor, including the Kremlin’s disinformation and interference in the entire region, as seen in the electoral and political processes in several countries from Georgia to Moldova and Romania.
Mirzoyan received the message, instructing Moscow to stay out of Armenia’s domestic affairs. Starting with the arrest of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a prominent figure in the Armenian Apostolic Church and leader of the anti-government opposition, for his alleged involvement in a coup attempt that Yerevan does not exclude could be supported by the Kremlin itself.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
