Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during a pre-election meeting in Tsovagyugh that Armenia is not planning to leave the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). He was responding to a question from a journalist with the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
Commenting on a recent EAEU statement, Pashinyan said: “I read it. It was a very balanced text. It turns out that our partners from the four EAEU member states support the idea of holding a referendum in Armenia on joining the European Union,” according to Panorama.am .
According to the prime minister, no referendum can take place unless Armenia officially applies to the European Union.
“First, we need to become a candidate country or officially apply to the EU for membership. There is no such issue at the moment, and therefore there is no referendum issue either.
I believe the EAEU should open up new opportunities so that the Union’s image in Armenia improves rather than declines. Because when a package of restrictions is introduced, it creates a negative perception of the EAEU among Armenian citizens. As a senior official of the EAEU, that genuinely concerns me,” Pashinyan said.
Addressing the issue of gas prices, the prime minister stated: “The price of $165 that is being cited is not an objective price because Gazprom Armenia increases it, and the actual price is significantly higher.”
At the end of the conversation, Pashinyan assured that he would attend the next EAEU meeting.
During the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council held in Astana on May 29, the presidents of four EAEU member states — Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan — adopted a statement regarding Armenia’s situation. The statement proposed that Armenia hold a referendum as soon as possible on choosing between the EAEU and the European Union.
In recent days, various Russian officials have also stated that if Armenia continues moving toward the European Union, it could lose access to Russian natural gas supplied under preferential terms.
In addition, Russia has imposed restrictions on imports of Armenian products. Imports of Jermuk mineral water, flowers and certain alcoholic beverages from Armenia have been banned. Restrictions have also been applied to several agricultural products, including tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries. From June 2, Russia is restricting imports of cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, grapes and other stone fruits from Armenia, as well as their transit to other EAEU member states.
