A day after the Armenian parliament approved to pursue membership in the European Union, official Moscow warned Yerevan that it must choose between membership in the EU or the Russia-backed Eurasian Economic Union.
“We understand that the EEU and the EU have similar agendas,” Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk told Russian reporters on Thursday.
“Therefore, of course, the country will have to decide and make this choice because it cannot sit on two chairs simultaneously. That is absolutely certain,” he asserted.
“We understand that if Armenia is moving toward Europe, then, as such, we will have to review the entire complex of economic relations with this country,” Overchuk said.
“Unfortunately, this will affect the living standards of people in Armenia, something which we would certainly not like to see,” the Russian deputy prime minister said.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government voiced its support for the bill in early January. At that time, Overchuk warned that Armenia risks losing its tariff-free access to Russia’s vast market and having to pay much more for Russian natural gas and foodstuffs. He described Yerevan’s endorsement of the EU membership bill as “the beginning of Armenia’s withdrawal from the EEU.”
Parliament approved the bill on Wednesday with only the majority ruling Civil Contract party members voting in favor of the motion. The opposition Armenia bloc did not take part in the vote, while the I Have Honor bloc opposed the vote.
Opposition groups have criticized the effort for lacking a concrete action plan and raised concerns about the absence of a clear strategy for Armenia’s future relationship with the EU.
Pashinyan has clarified that passing the bill does not automatically grant Armenia EU membership, as such a decision would require a referendum. He reiterated that while Armenia currently benefits from its membership in the EEU, a significant segment of the population aspires to align the country with European institutions for its future development.
Russia accounted for over 41 percent of Armenia’s foreign trade last year, compared with the EU’s 7.7 percent share.
