Harutyun Harutyunyan: “The Government Has No Intention of Applying for EU Membership and Adopted the Law to Prevent a Referendum”

 In an interview with Poland’s public broadcaster TVP, Harutyun Harutyunyan, Chair of the Armenian National Assembly’s Standing Committee on European Integration, addressed Armenia’s European integration agenda and the prospect of the country joining the European Union.

Responding to claims by members of the ruling majority that the Strong Armenia parliamentary faction had sought the chairmanship of the Committee in order to obstruct Armenia’s European integration, Harutyunyan stressed the need to distinguish between European integration and EU membership.

According to Harutyunyan, Strong Armenia unequivocally supports deeper European integration and intends to pursue a proactive agenda in this area, including legislative initiatives aimed at bringing Armenian legislation closer to EU standards, supporting the diversification of Armenia’s economy, and strengthening the effectiveness of state institutions.

Turning to the question of EU membership, Harutyunyan said that recent statements by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had raised concerns even among pro-European circles in Armenia.

Harutyunyan argued that those statements had made it clear that the current government has no intention of submitting an application for EU membership in the foreseeable future.

Moreover, according to Harutyunyan, Prime Minister Pashinyan’s own remarks indicate that the government adopted the citizen-initiated legislation on launching Armenia’s EU accession process in order to effectively prevent the issue from being put to a nationwide referendum.