One of the sources told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that Foreign Minister conveyed this message to his EU counterparts and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas during a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. The source described the meeting as “positive and important.”
Kallas said that the top European diplomats discussed with Mirzoyan “how we can further strengthen Armenia's resilience and economic diversification.”
“The EU is already working on a major economic support package to help Armenia withstand Russia's unfair trading restrictions,” she told reporters.
Kallas and some EU foreign ministers welcomed the official results of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections that gave victory to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil Contract party.
In the run-up to the elections, Russian authorities imposed de facto bans on the vast majority of Armenian-made products exported to Russia, the South Caucasus nation’s main trading partner. Moscow also pressed Pashinian’s government to swiftly choose between seeking to join the EU or remaining part of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led economic bloc.
The EU condemned the Russian embargo, saying that Moscow is “weaponizing economic relations for political pressure” on Armenia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced on June 4 50 million euros ($58 million) in urgent economic assistance to Yerevan. She said the EU will also open its market to “some Armenian products, in particular agri-food.”
The EU released the first 34 million-euro instalment of that aid on Friday. It said its Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos will visit Armenia on July 5 to “advance the implementation of the support package and discuss further steps to strengthen EU-Armenia cooperation.”
For its part, the Armenian government has approved subsidies for domestic farmers, agribusiness firms and beverage producers that will find new exports markets. Pashinian said on Thursday that some of them are already signing “big and long-term” supply contracts with European partners. But he did not give any numbers.
According to Russian officials, Armenian agricultural exports to Russia totaled over $700 million last year. Armenian analysts are skeptical about Yerevan’s ability to quickly offset the potential loss of such export revenue.
Pashinian and his political allies assured Armenians during the election campaign that Moscow will lift the trade restrictions if they win reelection. Russia’s state agricultural watchdog on the contrary banned more food imports from Armenia on June 11.
Also, Russian leaders have questioned the legitimacy of Pashinian’s election victory rejected by the Armenian opposition as fraudulent. President Vladimir Putin has still not congratulated Pashinian. On June 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov echoed Putin’s earlier demand for the Armenian government to make a choice between the EU and the EEU “as soon as possible.”
Mirzoyan’s June 15 trip to Brussels underlined Yerevan’s intention to continue moving closer to the EU
“Mirzoyan’s visit confirmed the deepening relations between the EU and Armenia,” another European diplomat told RFE/RL. “Foreign Minister Mirzoyan also emphasized Armenia's desire to diversify the energy sector and stressed the need for the EU to take steps in that direction.”
Armenia imports from Russia the bulk of natural gas used by its households, power plants and manufacturers. Moscow threatened late last month to end a significant discount on the price of Russian gas.