All issues and nuances related to Armenia’s place in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) must be thoroughly examined before December, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
According to Peskov, the four-party statement adopted by EAEU member states envisages detailed work on the matter.
He noted that the relevant institutions of the member countries should “present the results of their work on this issue” to the heads of state, TASS reported.
“All of this must be discussed before December,” the Kremlin representative added.
A joint statement issued by EAEU member countries says that a report on the possible consequences of suspending the application of the EAEU treaty to Armenia will be presented at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council scheduled for December.
According to the statement, the decision to prepare such a report was driven by serious risks to the economic security of the union’s member states, which the authors link to Armenia’s intention to join the European Union.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following the Astana summit that if Armenia leaves the EAEU, it would lose access to the benefits of the union’s free trade zone, face higher railway tariffs and stricter requirements for road transport operators.
Putin also estimated that higher energy costs could amount to at least 14 percent of Armenia’s gross domestic product.
At the same time, the Russian president stressed that whatever decision Armenia makes regarding its future participation in the EAEU would not affect humanitarian and political ties with Russia because, in his words, “this is purely an economic issue.”
