European Summits Held in Armenia

European leaders convened in Armenia for twin summits, signaling intensified competition for influence in the Caucasus amid the resolution of a long-standing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The gatherings include the European Political Community summit involving over 30 European leaders and Canada's prime minister, followed by the first bilateral EU-Armenia summit.

These events occur as Armenia, a member of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union and host to a Russian military base, seeks deeper integration with the European Union.

The end of the decades-long Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict has sharpened rivalries over energy and trade routes linking Europe and Asia. Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have constrained northern and southern routes due to conflicts, sanctions, and geopolitical tensions, elevating the Caucasus' significance.

In August 2025, leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a landmark peace agreement at the White House, announcing the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a connectivity corridor along Armenia's border with Iran linking the region to European markets.

Armenia relies heavily on Russia for energy, purchasing gas at a preferential rate of $177.50 per 1,000 cubic meters compared to $600 in Europe. However, Russia's inaction during Azerbaijan's 2023 military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which expelled over 100,000 ethnic Armenians, prompted Armenia to reassess its security alliances.

The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation did not respond to earlier Azerbaijani incursions into Armenian territory.

The EU brokered a border recognition deal in 2022 and deployed a civilian monitoring mission along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. In March 2025, Armenia's parliament passed a law to initiate the EU membership process. The peace process remains fragile, with Azerbaijan's parliament suspending ties with the European Parliament last week over a resolution calling for the return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and the release of Armenian prisoners.

Russia has expressed irritation at Armenia's warming EU relations, noting that EU membership is incompatible with the Eurasian Economic Union. Just before the summits, Russia banned imports of Armenian mineral water. Armenia faces hybrid threats, including border delays for trucks, cyberattack threats, and disinformation, particularly ahead of June parliamentary elections.

The EU approved a new civilian mission for Armenia last month to counter Russian disinformation, cyberattacks, and illicit financial flows, modeled on a similar deployment in Moldova. A January cyberattack compromised hundreds of thousands of WhatsApp accounts, with traces leading to a Russian city.

While the EU offers visa liberalization within two years, there is no timeline for membership, defense commitments, or alternatives to Russian gas.

“We realised that the security architecture that we are in was not working.”

“It is not possible to be simultaneously in a customs union with both the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union.”