Pashinyan in Dublin: Armenia on the agenda of the 9th European Political Community summit
- Published
- Place
- Dublin, Ireland
- Event date
- Upcoming event —
Summary
Paris, Antalya, and now Dublin. Nikol Pashinyan is paying a working visit to Ireland on 12 and 13 November, his office announced. On Thursday he attends the 9th summit of the European Political Community (EPC), which brings together some 45 to 50 heads of state and government at the Convention Centre Dublin. Bilateral meetings are planned. Ireland’s chosen theme: “A strong, secure and connected Europe”. According to Agence Europe, working sessions will be devoted to Armenia and Moldova. Ukraine will dominate the talks, with Volodymyr Zelensky expected to attend. Six months ago, on 4 May, Yerevan hosted the 8th summit. The prime minister arrives in Ireland the day after the CSTO stripped Armenia of its voting rights.
The announcement came on Wednesday evening from the prime minister’s spokeswoman, Melania Harutyunyan. Nikol Pashinyan is spending two days in Ireland. On the agenda: the EPC summit and one-to-one meetings with foreign counterparts, whose names have not been released.
The EPC was born in 2022 on Emmanuel Macron’s initiative, after Russia invaded Ukraine. It brings together EU countries and their neighbours, from the Balkans and the Caucasus to Iceland. Moscow and Minsk are not invited. The summit is held twice a year, alternating between the country holding the EU Council presidency and a European country outside the Union.
A session devoted to Armenia
According to Agence Europe, leaders will hold working sessions on Armenia and Moldova. The rest of the day will focus on the continent’s security and Ukraine, after peace talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November. Emmanuel Macron is to propose “key principles” for the future of European security, from defence to the fight against information manipulation.
Canada’s Mark Carney is invited again, as in Yerevan. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected. According to The Irish Times, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is unlikely to attend. On Friday, only the EU’s 27 leaders will meet.
From the Yerevan drums to Dublin
The Yerevan summit left a memory. At the official dinner, Nikol Pashinyan sat at the drums while Emmanuel Macron sang. The video went around social media. “I have six months to practice the drums,” Taoiseach Micheál Martin joked. The six months are up.
For The Irish Times, that summit helped the Armenian government make the case for its westward pivot away from Moscow’s control.
Analysis
Nikol Pashinyan’s week looks like a map. Paris on Tuesday, Antalya on Wednesday, Dublin on Thursday. Meanwhile in Moscow, the CSTO suspended Armenia’s voting rights. The contrast is deliberate: Yerevan is showing it has a seat at European tables. The EPC takes no decisions and issues no joint communiqué, which limits the summit’s concrete reach. But a dedicated session on Armenia, six months after the Yerevan summit, keeps European attention alive. The bilateral meetings, still unannounced, will show whom the prime minister wants to talk to first.
Possible consequences
The summit takes place on Thursday 12 November at the Convention Centre Dublin. The prime minister’s office is expected to report on the bilateral meetings. The visit ends on 13 November.
