European leaders are descending on Armenia for two unprecedented summits in a country long considered Russia's closest ally in the South Caucasus, BBC reported. 

The symbolism for this country of fewer than three million people is hard to overstate; Armenia is a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Eurasian Economic Union, and Moscow hosts a military base on Armenian soil.

On Monday, more than 30 European leaders and Canada's prime minister will take part in a European Political Community (EPC) summit in the capital Yerevan.