European leaders are arriving in Armenia for two historic summits in a nation often viewed as Russia's closest ally in the South Caucasus.
The symbolism for this nation of under three million is significant; Armenia belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin's Eurasian Economic Union, and Russia maintains a military base on Armenian territory.
On Monday, over 30 European leaders along with Canada's prime minister will join a European Political Community (EPC) summit in the capital Yerevan.
On Tuesday, the inaugural bilateral summit between the EU and Armenia will take place, featuring European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
Armenia relies significantly on Russia for its energy supplies. It purchases Russian gas at a special rate - a point emphasized by Putin during Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Moscow on 1 April.
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Russia provides gas to Armenia at $177.50 (£130.30) for every 1,000 cubic metres, he pointed out, whereas the price in Europe is $600 (£440.40).
"The disparity is considerable; it holds great importance," stated the Russian leader.
The watershed moment was Armenia's 2023 conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan.
As Azerbaijan initiated a swift military campaign to finalize its control over Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing over 100,000 ethnic Armenians, Russia, which had deployed peacekeepers in the area, refrained from intervening.
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Previous Azerbaijani raids into Armenian land had similarly not elicited any response from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Sargis Khandanyan, chairman of Armenia's National Assembly foreign relations committee, states, "We recognized that the security framework we are in was ineffective."
The EU the previous year facilitated a border recognition agreement, under which it sent a civilian observation mission.
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"The tangible presence of the European Union changed how our citizens view things," remarked Khandanyan.