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YEREVAN, June 21. /ARKA/. A referendum on joining the European Union should be held in Armenia in September, the leader of the Hanrapetutyun Party Aram Sargsyan said on Friday./pp
An open hearing on a potential referendum was held in the Armenian National Assembly on Friday, featuring numerous political parties that are not represented in the parliament, including the Hanrapetutyun Party./pp “Georgia willnbsp; [soon] have a parliamentary election, which is a de facto referendum, and Moldova will have a referendum on joining the EU as well. We had our referendum on independence on September 21, 1991, so we should have one on joining the EU September 21 this year,” Sargsyan said./pp
This move would be a sign that Armenia is aiming to be on the frontline of the democratic movement in the South Caucasus, he added./pp
Should Armenia apply for EU membership, it would be much better protected from the pressure that Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan put on it, Sargsyan added./pp
Aram Sargsyan is the younger brother of Vazgen Sargsyan, the former Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Armenia, killed in the 1999 parliament shooting./p br br
