Pashinyan: South Caucasus Gains a 'Totally New Global Role'

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview at Euronews' Enlargement Summit on Tuesday, 4 November, that his country aims to diversify and balance its foreign relations in order to defend its national interests. In his view, the current political and economic momentum in the South Caucasus gives the region a "totally new global role". The remarks matter for the European Union because Yerevan has voiced a strategic interest in EU membership, which clashes with its place in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.

Regional cooperation and a trade route

Pashinyan stressed that the South Caucasus is a region of differences but also of common interests, so shared views and strategies are possible. He argued that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, together with cooperation involving Georgia, offers new opportunities for easing the global supply chain crisis. He also cited the TRIPP corridor (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), which he said is creating a new global trade route for the EU, China, the Middle East and Africa.

The EU and the Eurasian union

The prime minister acknowledged that it is impossible to belong to both the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union at once. At some point Armenia will have to choose, and the decision belongs to its citizens, he said, which is why the government is creating an alternative so people have a choice. His stance on the issue has been cautious since the recent Armenian elections. Pashinyan hopes Armenia will become the third candidate country in the region; neighbours Turkey and Georgia already hold that status. He described relations with Turkey as complicated or non-existent, and those with Georgia and Iran as good, though Iran is subject to restrictions linked to international sanctions.

Peace process with Azerbaijan

Pashinyan said he is aware the EU will not accept a country in conflict. He said the peace process with Azerbaijan has become a reality on the ground, and that the peace agreement now needs to be signed and ratified. Armenia, he added, will support Georgia's European aspirations with all its means, since Georgia's success matters greatly to Armenia.