The EPC summit held in Denmark last October [EPA Yonhap News file photo]

Amid rifts in the alliance between the U.S. and Europe and the prolonged war in Iran, European leaders will gather in Yerevan, Armenia, on the 4th (local time) to discuss geopolitical issues.

According to the Élysée Palace, the office of the French President, the European Political Community (EPC) will hold its 8th summit in Armenia on this day to strengthen strategic dialogue among European countries and discuss the critical issue of continental security.

The meeting is expected to address major agenda items such as the reduction of U.S. troops stationed in Germany and the economic impact of the prolonged U.S.-Iran war, as reported by the British newspaper The Guardian.

The EPC, referred to as the "European Union (EU) Plus Alpha Summit," was launched in October 2022, after the outbreak of the Ukraine war, to strengthen pan-European communication and cooperation. A total of about 40 countries, including the 27 EU member states, the UK, Turkey, and Norway, participate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also arrived in Armenia.

For the first time among non-European leaders, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will participate in this meeting. Canada has been strengthening its ties with European allies across the Atlantic since its trade and diplomatic relations soured with the U.S. during the Trump administration.

Regarding Armenia, the host country of the summit, The Guardian assessed that it aims to externally highlight its strengthened relations with Europe through this meeting and clarify its strategy to move away from its reliance on Russia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has indeed been pursuing a diversification policy to gradually draw his country into Europe's sphere of influence. Pashinyan's "Civil Contract" party faces three opposition parties that are more favorable to Russia in the upcoming general election this month.

Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow specializing in the Caucasus at the think tank Carnegie Europe, advised The Guardian, "European leaders will have to strike a delicate balance in Yerevan. They need to hold an event that looks like a pre-election rally for Prime Minister Pashinyan, while at the same time engaging in broader discussions about how to build a more robust and less polarized Armenia."

The first bilateral summit between the EU and Armenia will be held on the 5th, the day after the EPC summit. Armenia expects the EU to provide additional funding to promote democracy and expand visa-free travel.

Armenia, with a population of 3 million, signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU in 2017. Last year, it also adopted legislation to pursue EU accession.