Summit in Yerevan: Armenia is moving closer to the EU, with a focus on security and cooperation

The leaders of the European Political Community members gathered in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The main topics of discussion are the region's democratic resilience and energy security. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković is participating in the meeting, and the summit in Armenia also has a certain symbolism because the country is facing elections in which it wants to move closer to the West, while simultaneously facing pressure from Russia.

“The summit of the European Political Community in Yerevan has strong political symbolism ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, in which the EU expects pro-European Prime Minister Nikola Pashinyan to win. It is an attempt to distance the country from Russian influence, although Armenia still remains strongly economically tied to Russia, especially through gas imports,” journalist Tamara Marković said in a direct report for Croatian Television news.

At the same time, Armenia maintains good relations with Iran, with which it conducted joint military exercises last year, while the EU is announcing 12 million euros in aid to combat hybrid threats.

The summit was also dominated by topics related to NATO, following the announcement of the US withdrawal of some troops from Germany.

Secretary General Mark Rutte said that European countries are strengthening the implementation of agreements on the use of military bases, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenković assessed that the Alliance is stable.

Croatia and Armenia strengthen cooperation, strategic dialogue signed

The fact that the small Caucasian state has been chosen to host the European Political Community is a clear political message.

Armenia is gradually moving away from the Russian orbit and turning to the West. Although Russia still has a military base on its territory, Yerevan has frozen participation in the military alliance led by Moscow.

On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Ministers Andrej Plenković and Nikol Pashinyan signed a Joint Declaration on the Strategic Dialogue between Croatia and Armenia, with the aim of deepening cooperation - including defense and security.

“They would like, at least the Prime Minister's political position is, to be as close as possible to the European Union, to reach European standards. In this context, Croatia plays an important role in the transfer of knowledge. We have a twinning project with Slovenia where we are helping in their healthcare reform segment,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

The European Political Community brings together countries from across the continent - intentionally excluding Russia and Belarus. The initiative was launched in 2022 by French President Emmanuel Macron to open up a new space for political and security cooperation in Europe.

“We Europeans are building our own security solutions. We have been doing this since 2022 by establishing the European Political Community, but also by creating a coalition of those willing to provide security guarantees to Ukraine,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.

EU and Armenia strengthen partnership, focus on defense

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also attending the summit for the first time this year. In the Caucasus, where Russian influence has significantly weakened, the focus of European leaders is on defense.

“We need to strengthen our military capabilities so that we can defend and protect ourselves. We have huge financial resources at our disposal for investment. Now we really need to accelerate and intensify the process of producing military capabilities. And the third element is the issue of reliable supply chains,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Tomorrow, the first bilateral summit between the European Union and Armenia will be held in Yerevan, where the formalization of a new strategic partnership is expected.

Although it remains a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, Armenia is increasingly openly stating that it will remain within that framework only as long as it is compatible with rapprochement with the European Union.

Source: HRT