The Armenian Parliament has adopted a bill on starting negotiations for membership of the European Union as part of the country's move away from Russia.



Armenia's state-run news agency reported the bill's passage on Wednesday.



Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said whether to join the EU should be decided through a referendum.



The former Soviet republic is a member of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.



Russia's state-run Tass news agency reported a Russian deputy prime minister had said Armenia's accession to the EU is incompatible with its membership of the economic union.



Armenia is also a member of a military alliance led by Russia. In 2023, Armenia was defeated in a military conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia suggested it would leave the alliance, claiming Russia failed to fulfill its security obligations.