Russian deputy FM hopes Armenia grasps EAEU benefits and losses of exit

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has said he hopes that Armenian society will be informed about all the benefits of Armenia's membership in the EAEU and the extent of the losses that would result from breaking ties with the Union.  

"It is up to the official Yerevan to decide where it is better to be. We hope that Armenian society will be made aware of all the benefits of EAEU membership and the scale of losses from leaving the EAEU so that the Armenian public has an objective understanding of reality," the deputy minister noted, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media outlets.

He emphasized that it is impossible for a country to simultaneously be part of two opposing economic and political alliances.

Galuzin said that the EAEU is an alliance of equal states, whereas the EU is a structure where "rigid discipline prevails, subordinated to anti-Russian narratives dictated by Brussels bureaucrats detached from reality."  

The diplomat also stated that Russia and Armenia discuss all pressing issues in an atmosphere of openness.  

"We are allies and strategic partners with Armenia. That is why we discuss all current issues on our agenda in an atmosphere of openness and trust," he said.  

For the record, a number of civil and political organizations in Armenia initiated a bill to start the process of joining the EU, gathering 60,000 signatures from Armenian citizens (under Armenia’s Constitution, the parliament is required to consider legislative proposals from civil society if at least 50,000 signatures are collected). Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan clarified that this step does not mean automatic accession to the EU, as such a decision would require a referendum. He later stated that Armenia "feels quite comfortable" within the EAEU, is interested in deepening relations with Iran, but at the same time, "a certain and sensitive segment of the population" wants a European choice for the country’s future.  

Commenting on the Armenian government's decision, the Kremlin stated that it is impossible to be a member of both the Eurasian Economic Union and the EU. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said that Moscow views the discussion of the bill as the beginning of Yerevan's exit from the EAEU.

By Khagan Isayev