“I believe this move toward Europe is a historic step for Armenia,” Varduhi Gasapryan, a young Armenian woman, told DW while enjoying the sun on Republic Square in Yerevan. “It will bring many positive things.” The capital is buzzing: dozens of European leaders and representatives of key EU institutions recently traveled to Yerevan for the first-ever European Political Community (EPC) meeting in the South Caucasus and the first EU-Armenia summit. The visits send a strong signal to Armenians that Europe is serious about closer cooperation.
Armenia sits at a geopolitical crossroads between Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Central Asia. That position has historically left the landlocked country vulnerable to foreign rule, conflict and influence. Today its Soviet past still casts a long shadow. Republic Square, ringed by monumental pink tuff buildings, sits at the heart of a small mountainous nation of about 3 million that preserves one of the world’s oldest Christian cultures.
Blue skies, a red carpet and the anthems of the EU and Armenia greeted EU leaders at the Presidential Palace. “Today’s EU-Armenia summit sends a clear signal of the EU’s firm commitment to deepen our relations with Armenia, and to strengthen cooperation across many new areas,” European Council President António Costa said. The new EU-Armenia Connectivity Partnership will focus on transport, energy and digital links.
For Armenians like Gasapryan, closer ties to Europe hold appeal. “Although the Armenians are a very strong people and a very talented nation, given the current political situation, we need support from everyone, from the European side, whether from the Russian side, or other major powers,” she said.
But Armenia’s path to the West is a careful balancing act. “Armenia does not want to break with Russia prematurely as it cannot afford to do so,” Jakob Wöllenstein of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation told DW. Economic and security ties to Moscow remain close, so Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is moving “step by step toward the West” while trying to keep good relations with neighbors and not alienate anyone.
Analysts call Yerevan’s approach a diversification of foreign policy. Benyamin Poghosyan of the APRI Institute said Armenia is adding new partners and friends, including the EU, and that individual European countries are also important. Normalizing ties with neighbors Azerbaijan and Turkey is another pillar of Pashinyan’s strategy.
The timing of the summits — a month before parliamentary elections on June 7, 2026 — is politically significant. Tigran Grigoryan of the Regional Center for Democracy and Security said the EU is signaling to the Armenian public which government it prefers to work with, and that such backing could help the incumbent ahead of elections.
Yet pressure from Russia is intensifying. Cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, particularly from Russia, have increased during the campaign. The EU has sent specialists to help Armenia counter these threats. “The only legitimate source of power in this country is the Armenian people’s will,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. Grigoryan warned that Russia has shown signs it may use tougher measures against Armenia and that Moscow questions Armenia’s westward orientation. At the same time, public opinion in Armenia has shifted: polls show rising pro-EU sentiment and declining support for Russia.
Despite the new warmth with Brussels, EU accession remains distant. Armenia has not applied for membership, and the accession process could take decades. Still, Yerevan intends to pursue the path toward the EU. “This is a very good and additional incentive for us to breathe new life into democratic, and, more generally, institutional reforms, to reach as quickly as possible the status of a country that meets the European Union’s standards,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said.
Outside the capital, at Khor Virap Monastery some 40 kilometers from Yerevan, not everyone feels the summit excitement. Laura Hayrapetyan and her husband Arsen Khosteghyan said they support the move toward Europe and hope it brings opportunities. At the same time, they want good relations with the Russian people. “We’ve lived side by side for 100 years, and I hope that we can live in harmony with all nations of the world,” Arsen said.
Armenia’s leadership is trying to thread a needle: deepen ties with Europe, pursue normalization with neighbors, and avoid a rupture with Russia that could threaten the country’s security and economy. How successfully it manages that balancing act will shape Armenia’s future and its place between East and West.
This article was originally published in German.