Russia again questioned Armenia’s continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) on Tuesday, citing the Armenian government’s desire to join the European Union.
Echoing President Vladimir Putin’s recent statement, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said Yerevan must already choose between remaining part of the Russian-led trade bloc and sticking to its European integration drive.
“The Armenian people are close to us, and we care about their lives and the future state of the Armenian economy,” Overchuk told the official TASS news agency. “On the contrary, we do everything we can to ensure that the economy flourishes there. But if the choice is in favor of the EU, then, of course, we have a question. Why should we support that at our own expense? If Armenia joins countries unfriendly to Russia, why should we support it?”
“We hear from the Armenian side that they are striving to join the EU and adopt its standards but at the same time they want to remain in the EEU and enjoy all the economic benefits that membership provides. Armenia had better make a decision quickly; this would be fairer both to Armenia’s EEU allies and to Armenia itself,” he said.
Putin told Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian that the decision should be taken “as soon as possible” when they met in Moscow on April 1. Yerevan has since remained reluctant to set any date for such a choice, a stance reaffirmed by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Tuesday.
“We will continue our rapprochement with the European Union,” Mirzoyan told reporters. “When the moment comes to decide whether to be a member of this group or that group of countries, we will make that decision.”
Overchuk confirmed that Putin will bring up “Armenia’s status in the Eurasian Economic Union” during the bloc’s May 29 summit in Kazakhstan. Pashinian has said he will not attend the summit, citing the ongoing parliamentary election campaign in Armenia. He implied earlier this month that the South Caucasus country cannot be kicked out of the EEU without its consent.
Critics say that even if Pashinian vetoes its exit from the bloc, Moscow will still be in a position to impose crippling economic sanctions on Yerevan. Armenia is heavily dependent on Russia for trade and energy, a fact regularly emphasized by Putin and other Russian officials.
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