Shorouk Express
History has a knack for irony. Sometimes weakness dresses up as
resolve, confusion gets repackaged as strategy, and political
despair comes wrapped in the shiny foil of “the people’s will.”
What just happened in Yerevan? Classic case. Under the gold dome of
the Armenian Parliament — amid staged outbursts and a laughably
theatrical sense of national mission — lawmakers pushed through a
decision that was practically obsolete before the ink dried.
Armenia, supposedly, is now “on the path” to join the European
Union. On paper, sure. In the minds of a few deluded politicians?
Maybe. But in reality? It’s political cosplay — all smoke, no fire,
zero shot at materializing.
This whole “Euro-integration” thing? It reads like a bedtime
story for the politically heartbroken. A kind of delusion you cling
to when your country’s flat broke, isolated, and backed into a
corner — but you still want to believe you’re five minutes away
from joining the cool kids’ table. Trouble is, the EU isn’t exactly
holding a seat open. And Armenia? Still hogtied by old commitments,
old patrons, and old fears.
What Pashinyan’s crew pulled off wasn’t a real choice. It was a
bone tossed to a restless public, with the government trying to
pass off impotence as vision. This bill? It’s not about Armenia’s
future. It’s a distraction from the bitter present — a present
where the country has lost territory, allies, and trust. And now,
after all that, they want to claw their way into Europe, as if
Brussels is out there saying, “Come on in, slogans are all we
need!”
Talk about hypocrisy. The so-called “democratic path” sounds
real rich coming from a post-Soviet backwater still knee-deep in
old-school corruption, political crackdowns, tribal nationalism,
revenge fantasies, Soviet-era mythologizing, and an economy that’s
in the ICU. And the EU’s reaction? A polite nod. That’s it. A
diplomatic thumbs-up to a regime trying hard to cosplay European
civility while still living by the rules of post-imperial
dependence.
Let’s be clear: Armenia isn’t joining the EU. It’s entering a
new phase of self-deception.
So what actually happened? The Armenian Parliament signed off on
the first, symbol-heavy step toward “EU accession.” Sixty-four MPs
voted in favor, seven said no. The bill, officially titled “On
Initiating the Accession Process of the Republic of Armenia to the
European Union,” passed its second and final reading. It’s not a
formal application to join the EU. It doesn’t change a thing in
legal terms. But it does send a flashy public signal — a billboard
for Pashinyan’s pro-Western pivot.
The text of the law is full of hopeful buzzwords: Armenia
“declares the start of accession,” pledging to become a “safe,
secure, developed, and prosperous” state. But — and it’s a big
“but” — actual EU membership, the bill notes, would require a
nationwide referendum. Translation: none of this happens unless the
Armenian people buy in.
The EU responded almost instantly. European Parliament reps like
South Caucasus point man Nils Ušakovs and Armenia rapporteur Miriam
Lexmann clapped politely, calling Yerevan’s move a “clear
expression of Armenia’s steadfast commitment to our shared values
and democratic path.” But in the same breath, they threw down the
fine print: EU membership is a long, tough, and
merit-based process. You want in? You’ve gotta clean up
your act — think human rights, rule of law, real reforms. No
shortcuts. No political theater.
What’s Really Going On Here?
No one in their right mind should be shocked by this. The whole
initiative came from a civic group called the “Platform for
Democratic Forces,” which somehow racked up 60,000 signatures —
10,000 more than required — in just two months. In January, the
bill got the green light from Pashinyan’s cabinet. By February, it
cleared its first parliamentary reading. This final vote? Purely
symbolic. Nothing more, nothing less.
Even Pashinyan admits it: this law “does not mean Armenia is
becoming an EU member in the literal sense.” So yeah, we’re talking
vibes, not substance. But symbolism matters. After the 2020 war and
the humiliating loss in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia has been steadily
distancing itself from its old alliance with Russia and trying to
pivot West. Moscow’s dwindling regional pull — especially as it’s
neck-deep in Ukraine — is pushing Yerevan to look elsewhere for
security guarantees and economic lifelines.
But let’s not kid ourselves. This whole move is less about
joining Europe and more about surviving the moment. It’s a
desperate hail Mary pass, thrown by a government trying to look
decisive in the face of strategic freefall.
And Europe? It might politely applaud from the sidelines, but
don’t expect them to catch that pass.
Despite the upbeat talking points, it’s hard to shake the
feeling that Brussels isn’t exactly clearing a runway for Armenia’s
grand European landing. And Armenian opposition voices aren’t shy
about saying so out loud. Armen Gevorgyan, a lawmaker from the
“Armenia” bloc, didn’t mince words: when the EU really wants a
country in its club, it doesn’t wait for second or third readings
of anything. If there’s a political green light, the response comes
fast. With Armenia? Crickets.
Even the Foreign Ministry’s response to Gevorgyan’s query reeked
of diplomatic stall tactics. Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr
Hovhannisyan said, “They were waiting for the second reading — now
they can respond.” That’s not enthusiasm. That’s a polite shrug
dressed up in a suit.
So far, real, tangible dialogue between Armenia and the EU has
mostly boiled down to visa liberalization talks. Back in September
2024, both sides officially opened negotiations to scrap visa
requirements. EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas
called it a “historic moment.” But let’s be real — visa-free travel
isn’t membership. It’s the EU’s soft power playbook 101. A
breadcrumb. Not the cake.
Armenia’s newfound Euro-crush looks especially awkward when you
zoom out and take in its current geopolitical positioning. Yerevan
is still a fully vested member of the Eurasian Economic Union
(EAEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) — two
pillars of Moscow’s post-Soviet power structure. So when
Pashinyan’s government says it’s starting the EU accession process,
what they’re really doing is playing both sides — signaling Western
alignment while clinging to old Kremlin-era alliances.
This isn’t so much about integration as it is about optics.
Following the lead of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, Armenia is
trying to rally domestic support by flashing the Euro-integration
card. The problem? Unlike those countries, Armenia hasn’t even
codified an EU course in its constitution. Worse, it’s still
economically, energetically, and militarily tethered to Russia.
High Hopes, Hard Limits: The Risks of Euro-Talk
The dream of a “European future” might play well in Yerevan, but
the cold facts of geopolitics say: slow down. Russia may be losing
grip in the South Caucasus, but it’s still a heavyweight — and a
critical partner Armenia depends on for gas, weapons, and, let’s
face it, political muscle. Any hard lurch toward Brussels will look
a lot like betrayal in Moscow’s eyes. That kind of move? It carries
real consequences — political, economic, maybe even military. Just
ask Ukraine circa 2014.
Which is why this whole thing feels more like a whisper than a
roar. Pashinyan isn’t trying to sprint toward Europe — he’s
tiptoeing, testing the waters, hoping for a little attention and
maybe a few grants from Brussels. It’s a signal, not a commitment.
A way of saying, “Hey, we’re here, we’re trying — how about a
little help?”
Russia, of course, isn’t letting the moment pass quietly.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk delivered a blunt
reality check: Armenia’s gonna have to pick a side. “This policy of
trying to please everyone — it’s not gonna cut it anymore,” he
warned. Overchuk dismissed Armenia’s EU bill as a feel-good fluff
piece — “all the right things against all the wrong things,” as he
put it — and reminded Yerevan that it’s impossible to straddle two
worlds forever.
He’s not wrong. As much as Armenia talks up Europe, it still
plays a visible, even productive role within the EAEU. And that
dual-track strategy — smile west, survive east — may have worked
for a while. But in this age of sharpened lines and binary choices,
it’s running on borrowed time.
Overchuk’s message was crystal clear: Armenia’s EU flirtation
isn’t just a geopolitical nuisance for Moscow — it’s a potential
threat to the entire Eurasian project, where Yerevan has long been
a loyal foot soldier.
At the end of the day, Armenia’s at a crossroads. One foot in
the Kremlin’s shadow, the other inching toward Brussels. But the
clock’s ticking. The bigger question isn’t just can
Armenia choose — it’s will it? And if so… who gets the
ring?
The Illusion of Flexibility: Armenia’s Dangerous Game of Sitting
on the Fence
Take this whole debate out of the warm, echoey halls of
Parliament and drop it into the real world — where choices are
brutal, stakes are high, and second chances are rare — and things
get crystal clear: Armenia can’t afford this geopolitical two-step
anymore.
The so-called “law on beginning the EU accession process” isn’t
just words on paper. It’s a direct slap in the face to every
binding agreement Armenia still holds as a member of the Eurasian
Economic Union and the CSTO. It’s a provocation. A bluff. A
desperate swing at breaking free from Moscow’s shadow — without
actually walking out the door. It’s a gesture that leads nowhere
except into the fog of strategic limbo, and that’s a place where
nations don’t survive — they vanish.
Sure, Armenia wants to be part of Europe. It wants that
future because the trust in its old allies is circling the drain.
But wanting it doesn’t make it real. Becoming European isn’t about
reading a statement in Parliament. It’s about dismantling — brick
by brick — the entire political and economic model Armenia’s been
clinging to for the past thirty years.
It means ditching the EAEU. Cutting off Russian gas. Shutting
down Moscow’s military presence. Severing the economic umbilical
cord. Rebuilding the courts, the bureaucracy, the banking sector.
It means real lustration — not cosmetic clean-up. It means breaking
with the past, no matter how painful, and paying the full price of
freedom.
And is Armenia ready for that?
This new law does none of it. It doesn’t reform. It doesn’t
disrupt. It doesn’t build. It simply announces. It’s like
a propaganda poster from a bygone Soviet era — all pomp, no motion.
Even Pashinyan himself admits: this isn’t a roadmap to membership.
It’s just a declaration. Just noise. Just theater.
And behind the curtain? Still the EAEU. Still Russian troops.
Still the same institutions tied to Russian leverage. Armenia talks
West, but it still lives East.
Which brings us to the question no one wants to ask — but
everyone knows is coming: how long can you keep pretending you
don’t have to choose? That you can flirt with Brussels by day and
cash in on Russian gas deals by night? That you can take grants
from the EU while still begging for handouts from the EAEU?
The answer? You can’t.
History — especially in the post-Soviet space — is brutal to
those who try to play both sides. Ukraine proved that. Russia
doesn’t forgive betrayal. Europe doesn’t reward weakness. And the
great powers — be it Brussels or Moscow — will always demand one
thing in the end: pick a side. Clearly. Decisively. No wiggle
room.
Right now, Armenia is walking a razor’s edge. But this isn’t a
diplomatic dance floor — it’s cold steel. It cuts. It bleeds. And
when the time comes to pay up, slogans won’t save anyone. What’s
coming is either a clean, painful, irreversible break from the past
— one that hurts, but offers a shot at real independence — or a
slide back into dependence, stagnation, and political
irrelevance.
The path to Europe isn’t a law. It’s a sacrifice. It’s
discipline. It’s sovereignty you have to earn — the hard way.
If they don’t get that in Yerevan, believe me — they will in
Baku. They will in Moscow. They will in Ankara. They will in
Brussels. And they’ll start acting accordingly — each in their own
way. And when that happens, Armenia, still trying to sit on two
chairs, will find itself flat on the floor. Crashing. With
consequences.
And history? History has no pity for those who stall too long at
the crossroads.
Baku Network
