Sisak Gabrielyan, a member of the Armenian parliament’s ruling Civil Contract faction, announced in a Facebook post today that the process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union has begun.

On January 9, 2025, Armenia's government approved a bill that calls for the country, once part of the Soviet Union, to launch a bid to join the European Union.

Armenia has in recent years deepened ties with the West at the expense of its traditionally close relations with Moscow, which it has accused of failing to defend it from longtime rival Azerbaijan.

The bill, drawn up following a successful petition that collected some 60,000 signatures, will now be presented to the country's parliament.

MP Artak Zeynalyan, one of the deputies backing the draft law, today in parliament noted that the purpose of adopting the draft law is to join the progressive, civilized, developed family of humanity.

While Armenia's accesion to the EU is, at best, years away MPs asked questions related to expectations in case of EU membership, the compliance of various products produced in Armenia with EU standards, the elimination of monopolies, the development of Armenia-EU communications, etc.