AZE.US
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has pushed back against Vladimir Putin’s remarks that Armenia will eventually have to choose between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, saying Yerevan has no current intention of leaving the Russia-led bloc.
Pashinyan said Armenia remains a full member of the EAEU and will continue to take part in its decision-making processes as long as it holds that status.
“We sometimes confuse interstate relations with marriage,” Pashinyan told reporters, responding to Putin’s earlier reference to a possible “soft” and “civilized divorce” between Armenia and the EAEU.
Putin had said on May 9 that Armenia should decide as soon as possible whether it wants to move toward the EU or remain within the EAEU. He argued that Moscow would then draw its own conclusions and proceed accordingly.
Pashinyan’s answer was careful. He did not reject Armenia’s European track, but he also avoided turning the EAEU question into an immediate political rupture with Moscow.
The Armenian premier said a referendum on leaving the EAEU would be held only if there were an objective need for it. At the moment, he said, no such need exists.
He added that Armenia treats its EAEU partners and its membership in the bloc “with great respect.” Pashinyan also said Yerevan has no goal of harming Russian interests and wants to deepen relations with Moscow, even as those ties go through what he described as an inevitable transformation.
The issue has become increasingly sensitive as Armenia moves closer to the European Union while trying to preserve the economic benefits of membership in the EAEU. Armenia formally joined the Eurasian bloc in January 2015. Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are also members.
For now, Yerevan appears to be trying to keep both doors open: political rapprochement with Europe on one side, and the practical advantages of the EAEU on the other. Moscow, however, is making it increasingly clear that it does not see this formula as sustainable forever.
AZE.US