AZE.US
Russia is ready to maintain constructive relations with Armenia if Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wins the June 7 election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov said Armenia remains important to Russia because of the long history between the two countries.
“For us, Armenia is important as a country with which we are linked by a centuries-old history. And of course, it is important for us that Armenia wants to be our friend,” he said, according to Interfax.
He also described Armenia’s choice between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, or EAEU, as an artificially created dilemma.
According to Peskov, Armenia has for a long time de facto stopped participating in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO. At the same time, he said Moscow believes EAEU membership is more beneficial for Armenia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a similar point earlier, saying Moscow would keep normal relations with Armenia regardless of the path Yerevan chooses.
But Putin also said Russia wants Armenia to clarify its future foreign economic course as quickly as possible after the adoption of a law launching the process of EU accession.
He said Moscow needs to understand how future cooperation with Armenia will be built, especially in such areas as market regulation and energy.
The issue has become more sensitive since Armenia moved formally toward European integration. In early 2025, the Armenian parliament approved a bill on starting the country’s EU integration process.
Moscow responded by urging Yerevan to choose between the EU and the EAEU. Russian officials also warned that some agreements, including those related to gas and petroleum supplies, could be reconsidered.
Armenian officials, for their part, have said the country is not considering leaving the EAEU and is not seeking a break with Russia.
At the same time, Pashinyan has signaled that Armenia may eventually leave the CSTO. During an election debate, he said the country would withdraw from the bloc “if necessary” and would decide the matter on its own.
Armenia froze its participation in the CSTO in 2024, arguing that allies in the bloc had failed to fulfill their obligations to Yerevan.
Against the backdrop of the June 7 vote, Armenia’s foreign policy course is again in focus. Moscow is publicly signaling that it is ready to keep ties with Yerevan, but also making clear that Armenia will have to define its long-term direction.
AZE.US