Pashinyan responds to Putin’s remarks on Armenia’s EU integration path

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently called on Armenia to swiftly choose between the EU and its current alliance, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

He suggested that Armenia should hold a referendum on the matter, and if the people chose the EU membership, then Moscow would draw conclusions and proceed with a “civil, soft, and mutually beneficial divorce.”

Speaking to reporters amid the campaigning season, Pashinyan said that he has previously discussed the matter with Putin.

“And I have said that until the moment when there is no need to make a choice—both de jure and de facto—we are not placing such an issue on the agenda. I also do not agree with the wording ‘divorce,’ because I have had the opportunity to say in parliament that we sometimes confuse interstate relations with marriage. I do not agree with that formulation. Armenia is guided in its interstate relations by an interstate logic. We are a full member of the EAEU, and as long as we are a member of the EAEU, we fully participate in all decision-making, and I repeat—so long as no necessity arises, we are not going to put forward any such issue. We will hold a referendum at the moment when there is an objective need for it. My assessment is that there is simply no such objective necessity. We treat our EAEU partners and our participation in the EAEU with great respect,” Pashinyan said.

He added that Armenia’s policy is entirely public and that nothing conspiratorial lies behind it:

“We have adopted a policy of balancing and a balanced foreign policy, one of the key principles of which is relations based on respect and mutual recognition of interests. And I have said before that we have not had, do not have, and will not have the goal of harming Russia’s interests; we will continue to be guided by Armenia’s national interests, and we will continue to deepen our relations with Russia, with the understanding that an inevitable transformation of those relations is taking place. And I want to say that this is not a matter of political taste, because one might interpret it as being connected to my personality or our political team. It is a process stemming from objective reality, and yes, a transformation of relations is taking place, and I assess this transformation positively. I also understand that there are certain questions, discomforts, and nuances that need clarification, but my assessment is that we must work through these issues calmly, quietly, without nerves, without unnecessary escalation, and we will proceed in that logic,” he said.

He stressed that he has “working relations” with the President of Russia based on mutual trust:

“We have discussed the most sensitive issues in a very calm, respectful, and friendly atmosphere, based on arguments and facts. I will continue in that logic. My respect to the President of Russia and to Russia. Again, we do not have the goal of harming Russia’s interests; we have not had it, and we will not have it, but we are also fully committed to the interests of our own state. Of course, we will also move forward with the logic of deepening our future relations with the EU and proceeding according to the law on launching the process of EU membership—that is, by deepening democratic reforms,” concluded Pashinyan.