The Armenian Parliament approved the draft law “On the Start of the Process of Accession to the European Union” in the second and final reading on Wednesday, Armenian media reported on Wednesday.
Sixty-four MPs voted in favour of the bill, seven against, Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan said. The document was supported in the first reading on February 12.
In January, the draft was approved by the Armenian government. In order for it to be considered by the parliament, the initiators, the association of parties “Platform of Democratic Forces,” needed to collect 50,000 signatures; it collected 60,000 signatures in two months.
The country’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan spoke of the strengthening of the EU’s “political support for Armenia,” which manifested itself, for example, in the deployment of a civilian observer mission in the country and Brussels’ readiness to support the strengthening of Armenia’s economic sustainability.
“Armenia is ready to be as close to the EU as the EU considers possible. I am referring to the start of visa liberalisation and a number of other instruments that have been used or are being discussed with the EU,” Mirzoyan also said.
