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EU and Armenia Sign Connectivity Pact, Pledge Election Safeguards

Brussels signals a shift in Armenia’s ties away from Russia.

Overview

  • EU leaders and Armenia, which met Tuesday in Yerevan, signed a transport, energy and digital partnership as Brussels also promised help to protect the 7 June parliamentary vote from cyberattacks and disinformation.
  • Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen urged European companies to invest as EU officials pointed to up to €2.5 billion from the Global Gateway program, with a separate €270 million package already backing growth and resilience.
  • The deal anchors Armenia in a faster China‑to‑Europe trade route known as the Middle Corridor, which hinges on a 43‑kilometer segment in southern Armenia now being prepared under the U.S.‑backed TRIPP project.
  • Signs of a thaw with Turkey emerged after the Turkish vice president visited Yerevan, with Turkish media reporting the long‑closed border could reopen in early June, though no government has confirmed a date.
  • The high‑profile summit boosts Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan before the vote, while critics say EU leaders offered little on Azerbaijani strikes into Armenia or the fate of detained Karabakh Armenians.