YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) 鈥� Armenia hosts its first bilateral summit with the on Tuesday, a landmark diplomatic moment for the that has formally declared its ambition to join the bloc and is cautiously loosening its ties with longtime ally Russia.
The EU-Armenia summit in Yerevan follows the eighth gathering of the European Political Community, or EPC, which to the Armenian capital on Monday to address European defense issues and the .
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s bilateral meeting saw Armenia and the EU sign a connectivity partnership to strengthen economic ties and deepen security cooperation.
The two events underscore how Armenia is seeking to turn westward and shed Russia’s influence. Armenia鈥檚 relations with Moscow, its longtime sponsor and ally, have grown increasingly strained since 2023, when neighboring Azerbaijan fully and ended the decadeslong rule by ethnic Armenian separatists.
Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers who were deployed to the region of failing to stop Azerbaijan鈥檚 onslaught. Moscow, busy with the , rejected the accusations, arguing that its troops didn鈥檛 have a mandate to intervene.
The war was 鈥渁 belated demonstration that Russia is dangerously unreliable as a partner,鈥� Richard Giragosian, director of the Regional Studies Center in Yerevan, told The Associated Press.
Pursuing ties with Europe
Since then, the government of Armenian Prime Minister has pursued closer ties with the West, a move welcomed by the 27-nation EU.
The opening ceremony of the EU-Armenia summit on Tuesday saw European Council President Ant贸nio Costa walk the red carpet side by side with Pashinyan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while a military band played in front of Armenian and EU flags.
In her opening statement, von der Leyen said that Europe was ready to aid Armenia in becoming a regional hub for global trade routes, including the building of physical infrastructure.
鈥淲e鈥檙e ready to invest in the local energy production and the energy links across the Black Sea, and we are ready to connect your booming digital scene to Europe鈥檚 digital market and turn Armenia鈥檚 position at the heart of this region into a motor of growth,鈥� she said.
The new EU-Armenia connectivity partnership will focus on strengthening transportation, energy and digital links. Meanwhile, EU investments in Armenia are expected to reach 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) under its global gateway infrastructure program, both sides said in a joint statement.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 EU-Armenia summit sends a clear signal of the EU鈥檚 firm commitment to deepen our relations with Armenia, and to strengthen cooperation across many new areas,鈥� Costa said. 鈥淏ringing Armenia and its people closer to the European Union.鈥�
Symbolic moves
The EU, rather than the United States, has stepped into the vacuum left by Russia, Giragosian said.
鈥淓U engagement is much more prudent and much more productive than the U.S. becoming involved, simply because European engagement is less provocative to Russia over the longer term,鈥� he said.
In 2025, Armenia’s parliament passed a law formally declaring the country鈥檚 intention to seek EU membership.
However, Giragosian described Tuesday鈥檚 summit as 鈥渁 focus on deepening the preexisting relationship鈥� rather than a step toward candidacy, referencing the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement that has governed EU-Armenia ties since fully taking effect in 2021.
鈥淭he symbolic significance is much greater as a message to Russia,鈥� he said.
Armenia has also taken other symbolic steps. It joined the International Criminal Court in 2023, a move that Moscow condemned as an 鈥渦nfriendly step.鈥� The court has issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the .
Armenia also froze its participation in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024.
However, Armenia remains a member of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, or EEU, a single market allowing the free movement of goods, capital and labor. The organization also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 鈥� and Putin has made the trade-offs plain.
Speaking at talks with Pashinyan in Moscow earlier this year, that Armenia couldn’t simultaneously belong to both the EEU and the EU, noting that Yerevan currently receives Russian natural gas at prices far below European market rates. Pashinyan acknowledged the incompatibility, but said that Armenia could, for now, combine EEU membership with deepening EU cooperation.
Pashinyan, who has been in office since 2018 and faces a parliamentary election in June, stands to benefit politically from the international profile of the European meetings. Giragosian said that Pashinyan’s government is likely to be reelected largely by default, with the opposition unable to offer a credible alternative program.
But Giragosian warned against framing Armenia鈥檚 foreign policy as purely a pivot from Russia to the West.
鈥淎rmenia is also pivoting beyond the black and white zero-sum game paradigm,鈥� he said, pointing to significant diplomatic investment in Asia, including with Japan, South Korea and China. 鈥淭his is not about replacing Russia with the West. This is much more innovative, much more sophisticated.鈥�
Heightened tensions
The summit also comes at a moment of diplomatic strains between Azerbaijan and the EU. Azerbaijan鈥檚 Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the EU ambassador last week to protest a European Parliament resolution demanding the release of Armenian prisoners of war and criticizing the treatment of Armenians in Karabakh. Lawmakers in Azerbaijan subsequently voted to suspend all cooperation with the European Parliament.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who addressed the EPC conference via video link, accused the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly for the Council of Europe, or PACE, of 鈥渄ouble standards鈥� for placing sanctions on Azerbaijan’s delegation.
There were also protests outside the EPC summit venue, which was surrounded by tight security. Demonstrators held photos of Armenian prisoners being held in Azerbaijan.
Opposition leader Aram Sargsyan, head of the Democratic Party of Armenia, told the Armenian Press Agency that the European officials were voicing support for Pashinyan before the election and have 鈥渇orgotten about the Armenians in prison in Azerbaijan.鈥�
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Elise Morton reported from London. Avet Demourian in Yerevan, and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.
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