Armenian PM explains decision to decline hosting EAEU summit

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that he considered holding the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit in Armenia to be inappropriate.

"I personally found it inadvisable to hold the EAEU summit in the Republic of Armenia. I can explain why. Unfortunately, and I have stated this publicly, not all members of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council are welcome in Armenia," Pashinyan said during a parliamentary session on December 4, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

"When we ratified the Rome Statute, we were in communication with our colleagues in Russia. We provided them with an example based on our relationship with the US. We have a bilateral agreement with the US that highlights certain aspects of our relations under the Rome Statute. We proposed the same mechanisms to the Russian Federation, but Russia, for reasons unknown, did not consent," Pashinyan said in response to a question from an MP about whether the decision was related to Armenia's ratification of the Rome Statute.

Earlier, Aide to the Russian president Yury Ushakov told journalists that the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council would take place at the request of Armenia, which currently holds the EAEU presidency. The summit will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 25.

The Eurasian Economic Union is composed of five member countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

It is an ambitious initiative for economic integration in the post-Soviet space. Its primary goal is to establish a common market similar to the European Union (EU).

To achieve this, the Eurasian Economic Union focuses on aligning economic policies, removing non-tariff trade barriers, standardising regulations, and modernising the economies of its member states.

By Naila Huseynova