YEREVAN, February 12. /TASS/. The Armenian parliament has adopted in the first reading a bill on starting the process of the country's accession to the European Union, according to the broadcast of the session.
"A total of 63 deputies voted for the adoption of the bill, the decision has been taken," Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan said.
Meanwhile, the opposition Armenia Alliance and I Have Honor Alliance have slammed this bill "a farce" and refused to take part in the voting. According to the opposition, the aim of the bill is not to join the EU, but to choose Turkey as a security guarantee.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that this would not guarantee Armenia’s automatic membership in the EU, as the issue would require a referendum. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan noted that the bill was a public initiative that had gathered the required number of signatures.
In turn, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said that Russia sees the discussion of this bill as the beginning of Armenia's possible exit from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). According to him, EU membership would be incompatible with the country's participation in the EAEU. Meanwhile, Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said that Yerevan has no intention of leaving the EAEU. According to him, Armenia should continue to strengthen and develop its relations with the EAEU, while at the same time fostering relations with other countries.