Armenia officially announces start of EU accession process

The National Assembly of Armenia supported a bill in its first reading on 12 February, which formalises the country's intention to begin the integration process with the European Union. The decision marks another step in the republic's shift in foreign policy course.

As reported by Armenpress, the document was put to a vote the previous day and received the support of 63 deputies, while seven voted against.

The bill was initiated by the civil initiative Evrovote, which managed to collect 60,000 signatures — 10,000 more than required to submit the proposal for parliamentary consideration.

The draft was pre-approved at a meeting of the Armenian government on 9 January, after which it was forwarded to the National Assembly for approval.

The final version, presented by the committee on European integration, includes the following wording:

"The Republic of Armenia, expressing the will of the people and setting the goal of making the country safe, protected, developed and prosperous, declares the start of the accession process to the European Union".