Armenia will lose access to free trade agreements if it leaves EAEU. Putin

If Armenia leaves the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), it will lose access to free trade agreements, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced.

“We will have to stop almost all our work with Armenia in the field of economy, which is related to integration processes. It means that you will need to buy licenses to work in Russia. This means that in order to use the Mandatory Medical Insurance, one must have been a resident for at least five years. And so on. There are many requirements there. It is a completely different story. We all just need to speak clearly, simply and honestly about it,” Putin said.

The Russian president emphasized that “everything that is good for Armenians is acceptable and good for Russia.”

“Do as you see fit, based on the interests of the Armenian people. And whatever decisions are made, it will not spoil our humanitarian ties, it won’t spoil our political ties, but in this case it is purely about the economic dimension. Everything should be calculated, looked at carefully and a decision made,” Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of other EAEU member states, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, in a joint statement, urge official Yerevan to hold a referendum on joining the European Union or staying in the Eurasian Economic Union as soon as possible.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and others make such a threatening statement when they cannot expel a member country under the EAEU charter. According to the Eurasian Economic Union agreement, the country itself must want to end membership, but members can introduce restrictions or additional checks on imports of various products, which Russia has already been doing in recent weeks, damaging Armenia’s economy.