On supporting democratic resilience in Armenia

B100198/2026

European Parliament resolution on supporting democratic resilience in Armenia

(2026/2701(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and EU-Armenia relations, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the EU’s neighbourhood and enlargement policy,

–having regard to its resolution of 15 April 2015 on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide,

–having regard to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the EU and Armenia,

–having regard to the Joint Declaration on the commitment to achieve peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was announced on 8 August 2025,

–having regard to the EU-Armenia resilience and growth plan,

–having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas the first EU-Armenia Summit, which will be held in Yerevan, Armenia, on 5 May 2026 and preceded by the European Political Community meeting on 4 May 2026, marks a historic step in bilateral relations and will bring together the President of the European Council, the President of the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy;

B.whereas this summit is taking place at a moment of unprecedented dynamism in EU-Armenia relations; whereas the EU has a historic responsibility to match Armenia’s political commitment with commensurate investment and presence;

C.whereas the CEPA provides the legal and institutional framework for deepening political, economic and sectoral cooperation; whereas Armenia has undertaken significant reforms in recent years; whereas further improvements remain essential, particularly in the areas of judicial independence, anti-corruption and civil society space;

D.whereas Armenia continues to operate in a profoundly challenging political environment following the forced displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, which constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and which Parliament has repeatedly condemned;

E.whereas parliamentary elections will be held in Armenia on 7 June 2026;

F.whereas the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process has gained significant momentum, including the resumption of trade relations and direct contacts at leadership level; whereas this progress deserves the EU’s full political and diplomatic support;

G.whereas the situation of political prisoners held in Azerbaijan remains a serious concern;

H.whereas Russia is conducting massive and systematic hybrid operations, including foreign information manipulation and interference, against Armenia;

I.whereas the EU-Armenia Connectivity Partnership represents a key instrument for reducing Armenia’s economic dependence on Russia; whereas the EU-Armenia resilience and growth plan, endowed with EUR 270 million, provides the financial framework for this transformation;

J.whereas the EU Hybrid Rapid Response Team has already been deployed to Armenia; whereas a second common security and defence policy (CSDP) mission specifically targeting hybrid threats is under preparation;

K.whereas the EU monitoring mission in Armenia plays a vital stabilising role along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border; whereas its mandate should be strengthened and extended in line with the evolving security situation;

1.Welcomes the convening of the first EU-Armenia Summit at the highest institutional level in Yerevan, Armenia, on 5 May 2026, and calls on both parties to ensure robust and operational follow-up to the summit’s outcomes;

2.Welcomes the Armenian law of April 2025, adopted following a citizens’ initiative, which expresses the country’s aspiration for EU membership; considers that this political signal merits a serious response; calls on the Commission and the Council to develop a structured pathway that acknowledges Armenia’s aspirations while being transparent about preconditions and timelines;

3.Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to substantially deepen sectoral cooperation under the CEPA, in particular in the areas of energy, transport connectivity, the digital transition and sustainable agriculture, ensuring that EU support reaches small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives and local communities;

4.Welcomes the Joint Declaration of 8 August 2025 on the commitment to achieve peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the positive momentum in the peace process, including the resumption of trade and direct high-level contacts; calls on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to move swiftly towards the ratification of a comprehensive and legally binding peace treaty;

5.Calls on Azerbaijan to show its commitment through concrete confidence-building measures, including the unconditional release of the remaining Armenian political prisoners; calls for the EU to place the situation of prisoners explicitly on the agenda of its engagement with the Azerbaijani authorities and to use its privileged position in the peace process to advance this issue;

6.Acknowledges that the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process bears considerable emotional weight for Armenian society and has a profound impact on the country’s democratic and institutional situation;

7.Reaffirms its previously stated positions on the protection of the rights of Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, including the protection of their property, cultural heritage and identity;

8.Reaffirms that the parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 June 2026 in Armenia must be conducted in full compliance with the country’s international obligations, including those undertaken within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe; stresses that the elections will be a key indicator of Armenia’s democratic resilience and its continued trajectory towards stronger ties with the EU;

9.Underlines that the integrity of elections must be assessed across the entire electoral cycle, including the pre-campaign stage, and requires equal conditions for political competition, media pluralism and the effective protection of fundamental freedoms; stresses that all public authorities and political actors bear responsibility for ensuring a level playing field, including equitable access to administrative resources and public communication platforms;

10.Expresses concern at a number of developments in Armenia’s pre-electoral period that risk narrowing the democratic space ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections; notes with concern the arrests of opposition bloggers and activists in November 2025, as well as criminal proceedings against senior clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which have been widely perceived as being politically motivated; recalls that democratic resilience cannot be built by restricting political pluralism or the independence of religious institutions; calls on the Armenian authorities to guarantee full respect for opposition rights, judicial independence and freedom of expression;

11.Supports the deployment of a comprehensive election observation mission by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and calls for full and unimpeded cooperation with international and domestic observers at all stages of the electoral process; calls on the EU to substantially increase its electoral observation activities and strengthen its support for media and civil society ahead of and during the elections;

12.Expresses concern regarding any statements or actions suggesting the use or threat of force in connection with Armenia’s democratic processes; calls on Azerbaijan to refrain from rhetoric or conduct that could make regional stability conditional upon electoral outcomes; reiterates that electoral processes must take place in an environment free from external pressure, intimidation and security-related coercion;

13.Strongly condemns Russian interference in Armenia’s electoral processes, including through disinformation and political and financial influence, and the instrumentalisation of infrastructure dependencies;

14.Calls on the Commission to assess the full range of available instruments, including connectivity investment, trade diversification and security cooperation, to offer Armenia credible alternatives to dependency on Moscow, and to present a strategic assessment of options for reducing Armenia’s structural dependencies in the energy, transport and security sectors;

15.Stresses with particular urgency the need to reach Armenian youth through culturally relevant programming that counters Russian-language disinformation on social media; welcomes the EU4YOUTH conference in Armenia and calls for it to be part of a sustained, adequately resourced and long-term engagement strategy;

16.Underlines the strategic importance of energy diversification for Armenian resilience; calls on the Commission to develop a specific energy partnership roadmap with Armenia, including electricity interconnection and renewable energy cooperation, with a view to reducing Armenia’s dependence on Russian energy;

17.Calls for a comprehensive EU strategy to counter hybrid threats targeting Armenia, including dedicated support for cybersecurity capacity, media literacy programmes and the resilience of critical infrastructure; calls on the Commission to include Armenia as a partner country in relevant components of the European democracy action plan and the external dimension of the Cyber Solidarity Act;

18.Commends the deployment of the EU Hybrid Rapid Response Team, and urges the Council to conclude without delay the formal process for the second CSDP mission targeting hybrid threats;

19.Welcomes the unblocking of European Peace Facility support for Armenia and the subsequent adoption by the Council in January 2026 of a second bilateral assistance measure worth EUR 20 million, aimed at strengthening logistics and civilian protection capacities; considers these steps to be tangible expressions of the EU’s commitment to Armenia’s security and resilience, and calls on the Member States to sustain and deepen this support in line with Armenia’s evolving defence and security needs;

20.Calls for a significant increase in EU support to independent media and civil society in Armenia; calls, in particular, for simplified access procedures for small organisations operating in challenging environments;

21.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President, the Prime Minister and the National Assembly of Armenia, and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe.