Historical Reversal
- 21.04.2026, 13:55
Yerevan is going to Europe.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has officially confirmed that his country is firmly on the path to the EU. Yerevan's readiness to carry out deep reforms to meet European criteria has been declared, and this is not just a diplomatic maneuver, but the final step in the long history of parting with the Russian imperial project.
Today we are witnessing a historic reversal dictated not by caprice, but by hard reality. For decades, Moscow has built its policy in the region on the principle of "security in exchange for loyalty."
But the events in Nagorno-Karabakh, when Russian "peacekeepers" actually authorized the exodus of 120,000 Armenians, have become a point of no return. As Le Courrier d'Erevan notes, Moscow has not just withdrawn itself - it has betrayed an ally. The war against Ukraine has finally destroyed Russia's reputation as a "constructive center of power". Now the Kremlin is perceived not as a guarantor of stability, but as a toxic aggressor that drags its "partners" to the bottom of international isolation.
Pashinyan's international strategy is simple and pragmatic: to bring the country into the European legal and value field as long as economic realities allow it. Yerevan cannot cut ties with the EAEU overnight, as exports and energy dependence are still critical. However, the prime minister makes it clear: membership in the EAEU is only a temporary economic tool for Armenia, devoid of any ideological or political superstructure. Armenia intends to use the bonuses of the Eurasian market to accumulate the resources necessary for the transition to EU standards.
The Eurasian Economic Union model has never become a viable alternative to Western associations. It is a "club of dictators" where the rules are changed to serve the interests of one player, namely Russia. While Brussels allocates hundreds of millions of euros to modernize Armenia's state institutions, Moscow only threatens with sanctions and higher gas prices.
Now it is obvious that Eurasian integration is living out its last days. It lacks inspiration, values and, most importantly, trust. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia are increasingly looking for ways to diversify, turning the EAEU into an empty formality.
Moscow has destroyed its authority with its own raking hands. The CSTO's helplessness and cynical disregard for Armenia's interests in favor of deals with Baku and Ankara have shown that the "Russian umbrella" is like a holey sieve.
Armenian society, which actively discusses the need for a European vector on social networks and portals like Azatutyun, is no longer afraid of shouts from the Kremlin. For Yerevan, the path to the EU is a question of survival as a sovereign democracy.
Pashinyan voiced what Yerevan has long understood: it is impossible to build a modern state while being tied to an archaic and aggressive empire. Armenia chooses law over force, the market over corrupt schemes, and Europe over the "Russian world". Brussels is ready to accept those who share its values, and Moscow can only watch its influence in Transcaucasia turn to dust.
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