Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke with European Council President Antonio Costa on January 13, following Armenia's announcement that it will seek membership of the European Union.

Last week, the Armenian government approved a bill to launch the country's EU accession process. Shortly afterwards, Pashinyan met with Magdalena Grono, the EU's special representative for the South Caucasus, to express Armenia's readiness for closer integration with the EU.

According to the Armenian government press office, Pashinyan praised the deepening relations between Armenia and the EU and briefed Costa on progress in the peace negotiations with Azerbaijan during the telephone conversation.

Costa, who took up his EU post on December 1, underlined the positive development of EU-Armenia relations. He reaffirmed the EU's commitment to strengthening cooperation in areas such as security, economy, democracy and resilience.

After Yerevan announced its EU accession ambitions, EU foreign policy spokeswoman Anitta Hipper confirmed that the bloc would examine the proposal and continue cooperation under the existing Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.

The accession push, backed by pro-Western groups, follows a petition that garnered 60,000 signatures in support of a referendum on EU membership. Pashinyan said such a referendum should be held after a "roadmap" for the process is developed.

The initiative has sparked tensions with Russia, Armenia's traditional ally, which has warned of economic consequences should Armenia pursue EU membership. Critics argue that the bid is unlikely to succeed and accuse Pashinyan of using it to shore up domestic support.

Armenia's economy minister clarified on January 13 that the government has no immediate plans to withdraw from the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), despite recent moves towards closer ties with the EU. 

After the initial announcement from Yerevan, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk warned that such a move could signal Armenia's exit from the EEU. He pointed out that leaving the bloc could end duty-free access to Russian markets and raise the cost of imports such as natural gas and food.

Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan echoed these concerns, saying "the issue of leaving the EEU is not on our agenda".

Russia accounted for more than 41% of Armenia's foreign trade in the first 11 months of 2024, while trade with EU countries fell by 14% to 7.5% of total trade. Armenia continues to rely on Russian natural gas, purchased at a fraction of EU market prices, underlining the depth of its economic ties to Russia.