Armenia preparing to join EU

The Armenian government approved a bill on the accession to the European Union at a meeting on Thursday.

The bill says that Armenia declares the start of the process of Armenia's accession to the EU.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the intensified and substantial cooperation between Yerevan and Brussels in the past few years. According to him, the EU helped Armenia in the security sphere and expressed its readiness to strengthen Armenia’s economic resilience.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the government meeting that the decision on the country's accession to the EU can only be made through a nationwide referendum.

"At this stage, before a decision to hold the referendum is made, we should discuss a roadmap with the EU, we should elaborate this roadmap," Pashinyan said.