Citing its founding treaty signed by Russia, Armenia and three other ex-Soviet states in 2013, Pashinian said that the EEU must not have a “political and especially geopolitical agenda.”
“We continue to regard [the EEU] as such and to develop partnership within the framework of our economic cooperation in this context, seeking to thwart all attempts to politicize Eurasian integration,” he said. “The EEU and its economic principles must not correlate with political ambitions.”
“The basic freedoms of trade and integration cannot and must not be limited due to political considerations. This would definitely lead to an erosion of the fundamental principles of the union,” he added during the summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Pashinian did not elaborate on his trade-related concerns voiced amid unprecedented tensions between his government and Moscow that have deepened further since beginning of September. The two sides have repeated traded accusations, raising questions about the future of Armenia’s traditionally close relationship with Russia. In the meantime, Yerevan has sought closer ties with the United States and the European Union.
Citing food safety concerns, a Russian government agency blocked last month the import of many food products from Armenia for more than a week. The Rosselkhoznadzor agricultural watchdog alleged a sharp increase in the presence of “harmful quarantined organisms” in them.
Observers believe that Moscow thus underlined its strong economic leverage against Armenia to warn Pashinian against further reorienting the country towards the West.
Russia has long been the main export market for Armenian agricultural products, prepared foodstuffs and alcoholic drinks. Their exports totaled roughly $960 million in January-October 2023.
Armenia’s overall trade with Russia has skyrocketed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting barrage of Western sanctions against Moscow. Armenian entrepreneurs have taken advantage of those sanctions, re-exporting various goods manufactured in Western countries to Russia. This is the main reason why Armenian exports to Russia tripled in 2022 and nearly doubled to $2.6 billion in January-September 2023.