At this moment, Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding a press conference in Astana following his visit to Kazakhstan. In his speech, in the first minutes he touched upon the situation with Armenia’s withdrawal from the EAEU and its future prospects. Here are the main statements of the Russian leader.

• The Russian and Armenian peoples have been linked by bonds of friendship and special relations for centuries.
• Any decisions that will be taken by Yerevan will not spoil the ties between Russia and Armenia.
• The crisis on Ukraine started with a similar situation to what is happening with Armenia now.
• Armenia now has access to a large and developed market of the EAEU, but if it starts to switch to EU standards, integration with it will objectively have to be curtailed.
• Armenia will lose 14% of GDP, as energy prices will have to be raised.
• Energy benefits are not the only advantage of the EAEU for Armenia. The share of Russian capital investments in the republic is above 86%.
• Rail transportation tariffs for Armenia will have to be increased from the current domestic ones.
• Armenia will not be able to import its agricultural products to Russia, and where will it send it?
• In case of withdrawal from the EAEU, the usual requirements for migrants will begin to apply to Armenian citizens.

In conclusion, Vladimir Putin noted that the EAEU would ask Armenia to hold a referendum on EU membership as early as possible.