YEREVAN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Armenia's National Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill in its second and final reading to formally initiate the country's accession process to the EU, the Armenpress news agency reported.
The legislation, titled "On the Initiation of the Republic of Armenia's Membership Process in the European Union," was approved with 64 votes in favor and seven against.
The bill says that Armenia, "striving to develop democratic institutions, enhance societal well-being, strengthen national security and uphold the rule of law, declares the initiation of its accession process to the European Union."
The bill originated from the civic initiative "Eurovote," which gathered 60,000 signatures, surpassing the required 50,000. The Armenian government endorsed the proposal on Jan. 9, and lawmakers approved it in the first reading on Feb. 12. ■
