BRUSSELS -- The European Union and Armenia have agreed on a new pact tightening political ties, more than three years after Yerevan walked away from a more far-reaching political and commercial deal with the EU to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union.

Talks on the agreement concluded during a visit to Brussels by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian on February 27.

It is expected to be signed later this year, possibly in May.

Armenia negotiated an Association Agreement that included a free-trade deal with the EU in 2013, only to make a U-turn that same year and reject it under pressure from Moscow.

The negotiations on a new agreement with the EU started in December 2015.

It is less ambitious than the agreement that was abandoned in 2013, most notably lacking a free trade area component -- which Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine now have as part of their agreements with the EU. But it will upgrade political relations between Brussels and Yerevan, which are currently based on a Partnership and Cooperation agreement that entered into force in 1999.

Armenia's fierce rival, Azerbaijan, started talks on a new political agreement with the EU earlier this month. </s> At a press briefing today in Brussels with European Council President Donald Tusk, visiting Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan announced that Armenia had reached a new Framework Agreement with European Union.

According to a statement released by Sargsyan’s press office, the Armenian president and Tusk had a private meeting before the briefing, during which the two discussed the process of reforms in Armenia, the upcoming parliamentary election, and the Karabakh conflict settlement process.

“I again wish to express my thanks to the president of the European Council and our good friend Mr. Donal Tusk for inviting me to Brussels and for our frank and substantive discussion,” Sargsyan said at the press briefing.

While no specifics regarding the new Framework Agreement were provided, Sargsyan said the two also discussed other issues on the Armenia-EU agenda, as well as regional and international developments. </s> Baku. 1 March. REPORT.AZ/ European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Commission Vice-President Federica Mogherini is on a visit to Armenia.

According to the information, EU official will meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, as well as the representatives of political parties and civil society in the parliament. </s> Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan today discussed steps being taken in Armenia to spur democratic reforms with European People’s Party (EPP) President Joseph Daul during a meeting in Brussels.

Sargsyan and Daul also discussed Armenia’s desire for developing stronger relations with the European Union.

Given that Sargsyan’s Republican Party of Armenia is an observer member of the EPP, the Armenian president and Daul also discussed avenues to strengthen cooperation between the two parties, as well as cooperation on international platforms.

Sargsyan told Daul that Armenia agrees with the position of the OSCE Minsk Group that there is no other option for a settlement of the Karabakh conflict other than a peaceful one. </s> Weeks of crisis in Armenia have ended with the Armenian parliament’s election of opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan Prime Minister.

He was the only candidate after it became clear that the ruling Republican party’s attempts to install its own candidate in place of its retired leader Serzh Sargsyan – whose attempt to appoint himself Prime Minister triggered the crisis – was unacceptable to large sections of the Armenian public.

Almost the first steps Pashinyan has taken as Armenia’s new leader is pledge to continue Armenia’s military alliance with Russia – which he says (correctly) is essential for Armenia’s security – and say that Armenia will remain a member of the Russian led Eurasian Union.

Pashinyan has also said that he intends to attend the forthcoming Eurasian Union summit meeting, where he intends to meet Russian President Putin for the first time.

Pashinyan has expressed opposition in the past to Armenia’s membership of the Eurasian Union. That will undoubtedly lead some to suspect that his recent pledges to continue Armenia’s alliance with Russia and to keep Armenia inside the Eurasian Union are cynical manoeuvres intended to buy him time whilst he builds up his power base so that he can chip away at the links to Russia later.

I take a different view. I think it more likely that Pashinyan’s earlier criticisms were simply intended to distinguish him from Sargsyan and the Republicans, and now that he has achieved his purpose of becoming Armenia’s Prime Minister they will be quietly forgotten.

Even if that is wrong, the very fact that Pashinyan has felt obliged to make these pledges as soon as it became clear that he would become Prime Minister speaks for itself.

The simple fact is that Pashinyan would almost certainly not have become Armenia’s Prime Minister if he had not made these pledges. Quite simply there is no critical mass in Armenia of opponents of the nation’s alliance with Russia sufficient to propel to power a politician who pledges to end that alliance. Far too many Armenians realise that given Armenia’s difficult geopolitical environment the alliance with Russia is – as Pashinyan says – essential for Armenia’s security to make it possible for an Armenian politician who wishes to end that alliance to gain power.

That immediately limits what Pashinyan can do, even if he secretly does wish to break with Russia, which as it happens I strongly doubt.

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Armenia and the European Union agree on a new pact to boost ties between the two. It is expected to be signed later this year. This comes after Armenia rejected an Association Agreement in 2013.