Armenia's EU accession unlikely before 2030, MEP says

Armenia's accession to the European Union is unlikely before 2030, Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser has said.

"Although Armenia enjoys great sympathy in the EU and official relations continue to deepen, the issue of membership is still more of a theoretical nature. Given Armenia's geographical location and difficult relations with at least one of its neighbors, such a candidate raises many questions. Despite the fact that relations between the EU and Armenia have been steadily improving in recent years, accession before 2030 is unlikely," Kartheiser told Izvestia on Tuesday.

Moreover, even the Armenian Foreign Ministry ruled out the country's accession to the European Union until 2030. So Yerevan will obviously have to make room for membership. Kartheiser added that the EU is now dealing with the issues of the candidate countries from the Balkans, as well as Ukraine and Moldova, as a matter of priority.