Armenia risks losing all the benefits within the EAEU framework. Lavrov

“Our relations with Armenia are close, allied. But at the same time, they are not easy,” Sergey Lavrov said, asserting that the West, following the example of other CIS countries, is trying to subordinate Armenia to itself, “to break Armenia’s mutually beneficial economic, trade, and investment ties with its partners in the CIS and EAEU.”

According to Lavrov, President Putin had an open conversation with Prime Minister Pashinyan in the Kremlin in April about the problems. – “He honestly said that we will respect any choice of our Armenian friends, but it is also necessary to understand that the commitments within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union cannot be kept if Armenia, as it is repeatedly announced at the highest level, stands on the path to join the European Union.” There are simply mutually exclusive obligations, including trade regimes and many other things. The coordinator of the Eurasian Economic Union, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexey Overchuk also spoke about it. This is our allied duty to explain how economic integration processes are built in the modern world and how the Eurasian Economic Union differs from the European Union.

Lavrov also added that relations between Moscow and Yerevan will be discussed at the Eurasian Economic Union summit to be held in Kazakhstan at the end of May, in which Nikol Pashinyan will not be able to participate. – “It is certainly unfortunate, because it would be a good opportunity to discuss the issues that are now left hanging in the air.”

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk announced today that the leadership of Armenia will have to choose between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union at some stage.

“Of course, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has said many times, we will approach every election that the Armenian people will make with understanding,” said the Russian Deputy Prime Minister.

Overchuk also stated. “In Armenia, they are talking about the desire to get closer to the European Union. We have mentioned many times that the membership of the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union are incompatible. They are also very well aware of this in Armenia… At some stage, they will have to make that choice, if they decide that they have to make that choice,” stressed Alexey Overchuk.

The day before, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed in a briefing with journalists that the June 7 elections have no geopolitical context. “Armenia has adopted a balanced policy. And there is no conspiracy, no “against” action in our politics.”

“If I had pursued a policy against the EAEU, the EAEU would be in a paralyzed state today, because decisions in that structure are made by consensus, and no decision can be made if I am against that decision,” he said.