Pashinyan Says Armenia Not Yet Choosing EU Membership, Challenges Russia Over Trade Restrictions at EAEU Meeting

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Friday that Armenia will continue seeking political and economic alternatives beyond its traditional partnerships, arguing that diversification is a sovereign right and urging the Eurasian Economic Union not to stand in the way.

Speaking to Russian reporters on Aug. 7 on the sidelines of a meeting of the EAEU Intergovernmental Council, Pashinyan said the Moscow-led economic bloc should respond to Armenia’s changing foreign policy by making itself more competitive rather than trying to limit Yerevan’s options.

“At this point, the best approach for the Eurasian Economic Union would be not to torpedo this process but, on the contrary, to work on increasing the EAEU’s competitiveness and attractiveness,” Pashinyan said. “I think that would be the right approach, and Armenia is ready to work in that direction.”

Armenia has been a member of the EAEU since 2015. The bloc also includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Moscow remains one of Armenia’s largest economic partners, but Yerevan has increasingly sought closer political and economic ties with the European Union and other partners as its relationship with Russia has deteriorated in recent years.

Pashinyan also addressed the prospect of a referendum on eventual EU membership, saying Armenians would be asked to make that decision only after the country formally applies to join the bloc.

He said holding such a vote now would be premature because Armenia does not yet have a concrete membership process or roadmap that could be presented to voters.

“Holding a referendum today is impossible because there is no subject for such a referendum,” Pashinyan said. “Imagine that we organize it now and have to choose between the European Union and the EAEU. Citizens will ask: What prospects do we have for becoming an EU member? What is our roadmap? … We do not have answers to these many questions. No one does.”

Pashinyan said a referendum would “definitely” take place once Armenia reaches the stage of formally applying for EU membership.

His comments come as Armenia continues to deepen ties with Brussels while remaining inside the EAEU, raising questions about how far Yerevan can pursue European integration while maintaining membership in the Russian-led economic bloc.

Pashinyan also took aim at restrictions imposed on Armenian products entering the Russian market, arguing that such measures undermine the EAEU’s credibility inside Armenia.

“What is happening now with Armenian goods is, of course, a problem for the Republic of Armenia, but it is an even bigger problem for the EAEU because, in practice, it turns out that the EAEU is not working,” he said. “If the principles are not functioning, that means the organization is not functioning.”

The prime minister said Armenia’s push to diversify its foreign and economic relationships did not begin recently. He recalled statements from some of Armenia’s EAEU partners suggesting that the country had few alternatives and would not be welcomed elsewhere.

Rather than viewing those remarks solely as criticism, Pashinyan said Armenia treated them as an incentive to demonstrate that it could build relationships beyond its existing alliances.

He pointed to the European Union as an important trade and economic partner and rejected suggestions from Russian officials that Brussels is pressuring Yerevan to move away from Moscow.

“If someone has leverage to impose or force something, then that leverage is certainly not in Brussels, not in the West, not in the South and not in the East,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister conspicuously omitted “the North,” a term frequently used in Armenian political discourse as a reference to Russia, leaving his remarks open to interpretation as criticism of Moscow’s influence over Yerevan.

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