Dozens of European presidents, prime ministers and other senior leaders, descended on Yerevan last week, to participate in the 8th Summit of the European Political Community (EPC). For a day or two, you could not go anywhere in the centre of the Armenian capital without bumping into a European leader and his entourage. The following day, it was time for bilateral relations, and the first EU-Armenia summit took place with the participation of Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council. This was a more substantial affair, during which the EU heaped praise, and some financial support, for Armenia, and importantly highlighted how it proposed to engage with Armenia in the future. Armenia had made the journey from being a Russian outpost, which it was until 2018, to becoming the EU’s favorite in the South Caucasus – a “status” achieved not least because of Azerbaijani aloofness, and Georgia’s bizarre anti EU trajectory. Moscow, Tehran and Washington watched events in Armenia carefully. For Armenia, Azerbaijan remains the elephant in the room. Pashinyan has gone along way to redefine Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. This is still “work in progress”. But the EU needs to engage carefully and sensitively, but not meekly, on this issue too. Kaja Kallas the EU High Representative, went to Baku immediately after Yerevan, to emphasise this inclusivity. On the same day (6 May), EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Magdalena Grono spoke about the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process and the role of external players during a panel discussion held within the framework of the Yerevan Dialogue international forum 2026. EUSR Grono noted that the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process has been a “wonderful and powerful” one, adding that it has received important support from external partners. She expressed hope for new opportunities for regional cooperation when the time is right. She also stressed the importance of addressing humanitarian issues. In Yerevan last week the European Union and wider Europe assembled in the EPC, showed its commitment to Armenia and the South Caucasus region. It was necessary. It was timely, but it was also just a start. In its approach to the South Caucasus over the last thirty years Europe has been largely reflexive: responding to events. It has lacked a strategic approach and a regional vision. Both require patience, perseverance and flexibility, but in the end they make policy towards the region more sustainable. In the South Caucasus, people have long memories, and the EU has no institutional memory. It fails to build on its own success, and it fails to learn from its mistakes. The region is too important and is too close to Europe either to be ignored, or to be approached lightly. The Armenian parliamentary elections on 7 June will define Armenia’s future, as well as that of the region. In many ways the EPC Summit and Armenia-EU summit were a loud statement of support for the current Armenian trajectory. However in the end it is up to the Armenian people to make a decision. Europe must support the democratic process that makes this possible, and after 7 June must be ready to stand with Armenia in case Moscow and Tehran do not like the result. (click image to read the full commentary)