According to official sources, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney will become the first non-European leader to attend a European Political Community summit in Yerevan. Carney said he is determined to build new trade and diplomatic alliances after the loss of US markets, and Armenian officials described his presence as a show of western support, but Canadian diplomats have rejected suggestions that Canada might seek EU membership.
European officials say Yerevan was chosen to host the summit to showcase its strengthening links with Europe and its slow decoupling from Russia. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Pashinyan's Civil Contract party stated that the party is seeking a big win in the June elections to continue peace efforts with Azerbaijan. According to the Armenian Central Election Commission, he faces three opposition parties more sympathetic to Russia. Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, said European leaders will have to walk a fine line in Yerevan, as they hold what looks like a pre-election rally for Pashinyan while also discussing building a more robust and less polarised Armenia. How the summit outcomes will affect Pashinyan's standing remains uncertain.
Armenian government negotiators have indicated that Armenia is on the verge of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan that would reopen borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey, closed since the 1990s. Prime Minister Pashinyan has said Armenia pursues a strategy of 'diversification', maintaining ties with both Russia and the West. According to Armenian defence officials, relations with Moscow have become strained partially because Russian peacekeepers were criticised for not intervening more decisively during conflicts with Azerbaijan.
In reality it's a process where Armenia tries to establish relationships with the European Union.
European Council officials stated that leaders from nearly 50 countries, including all 27 EU members, will meet on Monday to discuss US-Iran tensions and the economic impact of a prolonged conflict. The White House announced that Donald Trump's plan to pull more than 5,000 US troops out of Germany over the next year will also be a major subject of discussion. Armenian border officials have noted that Armenia shares a border with Iran but has not alleged Iranian missiles have landed in its territory, unlike neighbouring Azerbaijan.
Armenian government officials said that Yerevan hopes the first bilateral summit between Armenia and the EU, to be held the day after the EPC summit, will result in extra funding to promote democracy and visa liberalisation. According to EU records, Armenia signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with the EU in 2017, and last year, according to the Armenian parliament's records, it adopted a law declaring its intention to apply for EU membership. EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said in an official statement that Armenia and the EU have never been closer. Political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan, speaking to Euronews, described the process as Armenia trying to establish relationships with the European Union. It remains unclear whether the extra funding and visa liberalisation will be agreed upon.
According to the Armenian foreign ministry, world leaders began arriving in Yerevan on Sunday ahead of the 8th European Political Community meeting, held under the motto 'Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe'. The offices of the British Prime Minister, Ukrainian President, French President, and Polish Prime Minister confirmed their arrival on Sunday afternoon. The summit will be co-chaired by European Council President António Costa and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, according to the European Council. Costa stated that Europe and Canada are building a global alliance to defend peace, shared prosperity and multilateralism. Ukrainian officials said President Zelenskyy is expected to have sideline meetings with several countries. The European Political Community was established in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as an intergovernmental forum for political and strategic discussions, according to its founding charter.