Following two European summits held in Yerevan on May 4-5, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Armenian government should choose “as soon as possible” between seeking to join the European Union or remaining part of the trade bloc comprising five ex-Soviet states. He is expected to bring up the matter at an EEU summit in Astana, Kazakhstan scheduled for Friday. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has said he will not attend the summit because he is busy campaigning for the June 7 parliamentary elections.
Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, told reporters that the Russian leader will discuss with his Belarusian, Kazakh and Kyrgyz counterparts “consequences” of Armenia’s possible exit from the EEU and “prospects for relations” with Yerevan.
Pashinian’s government enacted a year ago a law that commits it to striving for Armenia’s accession to the EU. But it remains reluctant to set possible dates for formally applying for EU membership and leaving the EEU. Moscow seems to be losing patience with this policy.
Pashinian stressed in this regard earlier this month that Armenia cannot be kicked out of the EEU without its consent. Ushakov acknowledged this while claiming that Yerevan itself may decide to leave the bloc. Another senior Russian official, State Duma vice-speaker Pyotr Tolstoy, said that Armenia could “very easily” lose the benefits of its EEU membership because of its government’s “anti-Russian” actions.