‘The EU and its southern neighbourhood: the need for open minds, open ears, and open eyes’

This article is part of the Armenia Season on commonspace.eu between 1 May and 15 June 2026. The first Armenia-EU summit was held in Yerevan on 5 May 2026. Alex Verge, was commonspace.eu special correspondent at the summit in Yerevan, and he filed this report: In a landmark diplomatic moment, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted the first-ever bilateral summit between Armenia and the European Union at the presidential residence in Yerevan on 5 May. While it did not deliver any major announcements, the summit reflected the ongoing deepening of the bilateral  relation and a show of support from Europe for Pashinyan, who is seeking re-election in parliamentary elections in June. EU Commission President Ursual von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa were representing Europe at the summit. Both gave significant credit to Pashinyan personally for his role in bringing Armenia closer to the EU, underlining shared values and commitments to democracy, rule of law, peace and stability.  The current prime minister has indeed overseen a significant rapprochement. In 2025, the Armenian parliament adopted a law that officially mandated the government to pursue EU integration. Accession remains a very distant prospect however. Pashinyan himself commented at the summit that Armenia faced a long road before it could align itself to EU standards, including regarding judiciary independence, and that there was no guarantee that the EU wanted to expand further. He added that a deeper bilateral relationship was highly valuable in and of itself. Alongside the European Political Community gathering that took place the day before, the EU summit will have contributed to the international credibility of Pashinyan and may therefore serve his re-election prospects well. Domestically, it remains to be seen whether Pashinyan will receive similar support from the Armenian electorate come the June parliamentary elections. Outside the presidential palace, a crowd was gathered to call for the release of Armenian prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan - one of the number of issues where large parts of Armenian society have been critical of their current government. Much more than this weekend’s summits, it will be the elections in June that will shape the trajectory of Armenia’s foreign policy. This article is part of the Armenia Season on commonspace.eu between 1 May and 15 June 2026. The first Armenia-EU summit was held in Yerevan on 5 May 2026. Alex Verge, was commonspace.eu special correspondent at the summit in Yerevan, and he filed this report. Press the image to read the full report.

The first Armenia–EU Summit was held in Yerevan on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. It marked a historic milestone in bilateral relations, featuring the signing of a number of strategic documents and new initiatives aimed at deepening cooperation. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President António Costa, together with other participants, witnessed the signing of the EU–Armenia Connectivity Partnership — a major step forward in strengthening transport, energy, and digital links. Fully aligned with the EU’s Cross-Regional Connectivity Agenda and Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative, it will boost trade, create jobs, reinforce resilience, and support regional stability. The partnership will be institutionalised through a High-Level Dialogue on Connectivity, alongside a High-Level Transport Dialogue, also launched at the summit. Additionally, the EU is boosting economic growth in the country by launching a Call for Expressions of Interest, inviting companies in the EU, the European Economic Area, and Armenia to develop strategic investment projects in Armenia. The signing of the first Letters of Intent with selected private sector partners in the fields of digital infrastructure, semiconductor skills, innovation ecosystems, and private investment mobilisation aims to bring a tangible positive impact to Armenia. The first progress report on Armenia’s implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan was formally handed to the Armenian side. This first report acknowledges good progress and provides recommendations on the next steps in its implementation. In addition, leaders witnessed the initialling of a working arrangement between the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which will enhance cooperation on border and migration management, supporting Armenia in the implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan. On security and defence, leaders welcomed the establishment of an EU Partnership Mission in Armenia. (This article is part of the Armenia Season on commonspace.eu)