Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia wanted to become a member fo the European Union within twenty years and will commit to an ambitous reform programme to meet the criteria of EU accession. In a press conference on 16 July, Pashinyan referred to his recent visit in Brussels and said the law adopted by the Armenian parliament meant the country seeks to join the EU. He acknowledged that this was not a simple process and all EU member states needed to agree to Armenia’s membership. He emphasised that regardless of whether Armenia ultimately joins the EU, the country will continue its ambitious reform programme.
“There are two options, either Armenia is accepted into the European Union, or not. If accepted, very good. If for some reason it is not accepted, Armenia will still become a country that meets European standards”, Pashinyan stated.
In the press conference, Pashinyan addressed a number of other issues including relations with Russia and the Church. When asked how long Armenia would maintain its “frozen membership” in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) he said it is more likely that Armenia will leave the CSTO than unfreeze membership.
The Russian-led military bloc failed to respond to Armenia’s request for assistance when Azerbaijani armed forces advanced into Armenian territory. CSTO member states argued that the border had not yet been delimited. In Armenia, this response was interpreted as the bloc not recognising Armenia’s sovereign territory and not acknowledging it as part of its area of responsibility.
“In practical terms, Armenia’s participation in the CSTO is essentially frozen. I believe that the CSTO did not fulfil its obligations to Armenia regarding security, particularly in 2021 and 2022. And this could not go without consequences,” Pashinyan stated.
The Prime Minister also addressed Armenia’s relations with Russia: “They are undergoing a phase of transformation. Armenia-Russia relations will no longer be what they used to be. But that does not mean our relations with Russia should be bad. No, I believe our ties with Russia should be good, much better than they were before.”
Three Russian TV channels are broadcast in Armenia’s public multiplex. The anti-Armenian content of some of their programmes periodically causes public outrage. Local experts describe these channels as “a component of Russia’s hybrid warfare against Armenia”, he stated.
Pashinyan, however, does not want Armenia to be forced to make a decision to suspend their broadcasting. “Armenia wants to have normal, natural, friendly relations with Russia, based on mutual respect. Yes, some Russian TV channels have crossed all possible lines. But I wouldn’t want us to be forced into making that decision, because we’re not seeking confrontation, contradictions, or conflict with Russia. Yet I have the impression that there are forces in Russia trying to push Yerevan into such a move”, Prime Minister Pashinyan stated.
He added that his personal relations with Russian partners, the Russian president and Prime Minister, are “open, transparent, and sincere.” That, too, he said, would make it uncomfortable if Armenia had to make such a decision.
According to Pashinyan, the issue with the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) began long ago. During his regional visits, people regularly complained to him about ENA’s operations: “We are obliged to protect the interests of Armenian consumers. And since ENA, despite numerous public and governmental appeals, requests, and warnings, failed to take appropriate action, the government is now obliged to take relevant steps,” he said, referring to the initiated nationalisation process.
Pashinyan explained that the government’s goal is to assume temporary control in order to investigate what occurred within the company. “But we never said that after the nationalisation process, or even during it, the state would always manage ENA. Our goal is to find the most efficient manager and establish very clear public and state oversight over the management”, the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan also did not rule out the possibility of handing over the management of the nuclear power plant to a foreign company. The government has already announced to international firms that it is open to cooperation.
During the press conference, the Prime Minister was repeatedly asked about the worsening relations with the church. He disagreed with the claim that he had started a campaign against the church. He assured that for him and his family, the Armenian Apostolic Church was sacred.
“What we are doing now is in the name of the church. Otherwise, we could simply remain indifferent to the destructive process happening within the church. If someone is a true follower of our church, they cannot be indifferent to its decline”, Pashinyan stated.
Journalists asked how he intends to achieve the Catholicos’s resignation. Pashinyan replied that it would happen the same way Armenia freed itself from Serzh Sargsyan in 2018. Pashinyan said he expected that the people will support his demand just as they once joined his revolutionary movement under the slogan “Reject Serzh”, the former president of Armenia.
“The Holy See of Etchmiadzin is the epicentre of our spiritual and moral values. And if we, as followers of the church, at some point stop and do not carry this agenda to the end, it could be perceived as a rejection of morality and ethical values”, the Prime Minister said.
He accused the Catholicos of breaking his vow of celibacy and claims he has a child. He reminded that according to the church’s charter, the Catholicos of All Armenians owns all the church’s property. In his view, a moment may come when it turns out that the church’s property is owned by a private individual, the Catholicos’s child. Pashinyan argued this development must be prevented.
Additionally, Pashinyan stated they will not allow external forces to use information they have about clergy members to create a “state within a state.” In his social media posts, he already warned that compromising material on church officials could be used against the state. “If necessary, our actions will be very harsh, but lawful,” he declared.
