EU says views Armenia membership push with 'interest'

The European Union on Tuesday said it viewed Armenia's aspirations of joining with "interest", after the country's prime minister said Yerevan could soon begin the process of lodging a membership application.

Armenia is formally allied with Moscow but has been building ties with the EU for years, amid frustration over Russia's perceived failure to protect it during conflicts with neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told parliament on Monday that Armenia could begin the formal application process "in the near future".

Once the bid is lodged, Armenia would hold a referendum on membership, he added.

EU spokeswoman Paula Pinho said that Yerevan's interest in joining was "another expression of the attractiveness that the EU has for citizens".

"So we look into it with interest," she said.

But a second spokesperson for the bloc said the painstaking procedure to become an EU member  "involved a well-defined and a merit-based process".

"It requires a formal application from an aspiring country," spokesman Markus Lammert said.

"We are already working to bring Armenia closer to the EU via for example connectivity, trade and many more things that we do with them."

Moscow has increased pressure on Yerevan over its EU rapprochement by imposing import curbs. In a warning to Armenia, President Vladimir Putin said in June that the "Ukrainian scenario" began with Kyiv's EU ambitions.

There are currently nine official candidate countries  -- including Armenia's fellow ex-Soviet states Ukraine and Moldova -- which have applied to join the EU, currently 27 nations.

The membership process involves years of painstaking reforms, and Armenia's regional rival Turkey has been in the EU's waiting room for decades.

(AFP)

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