3 in 4 Armenians support joining the EU, survey says

A total of 75% of Armenians support the country’s possible accession to the European Union, according to a survey by the International Republican Institute published on Friday. 

The poll was conducted between May 5 and 11 through telephone interviews with 1,511 respondents across the country.

Among respondents, 38% said they strongly support Armenia’s EU accession efforts, while another 37% expressed somewhat supportive views. At the same time, 11% said they somewhat oppose the goal and a further 9% said they strongly oppose it.

Support was broadly consistent across age groups, though intensity varied. Among those aged 18 to 35, 32% said they strongly support accession and 45% said they somewhat support it. By contrast, respondents aged over 56 expressed firmer views, with 44% strongly supporting and 31% somewhat supporting the goal. Support levels were also distributed almost evenly among residents of Yerevan, other urban areas, and rural communities – the three groups with roughly equal populations.

Among those who support joining the EU, the most commonly cited reasons were expectations of a stronger economy (17%) and visa-free travel opportunities (14%), along with a general belief that accession would improve security, stability, and peace.

Opponents, meanwhile, most often pointed to concerns over a “deterioration of national values” (16%) and a potential “loss of Armenian identity” (8%). Another 14% said Armenia should avoid pursuing membership as it could “anger” Russia, while 11% said they do not expect the EU to be a reliable partner.

Despite widespread approval of the EU path, 36% of Armenians said the country should pursue a pro-Western policy while maintaining some relations with Russia. By contrast, only 19% believe Yerevan should align exclusively with the EU and the West.

Just 6% of respondents supported an entirely pro-Russian policy, while a further 21% favored maintaining close ties with Moscow alongside some engagement with Western countries.

On broader foreign policy perceptions, public tension toward Azerbaijan and Turkey has decreased but remains high. Some 73% of respondents identified Azerbaijan as the country posing the greatest political threat to Armenia, down from 93% in March 2023. As multiple answers were allowed, Turkey followed, with the same figure declining from 89% to 58%. Russia ranked third, with roughly one-third of respondents citing it as the greatest threat to Armenia.