Russian Deputy PM: Armenia’s EU course means joining hostile bloc

Sending Russian and Kazakh cargo to Armenia by rail through Azerbaijan and Georgia is beneficial for everyone, as evidenced by the growing number of shipments, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said in an interview with TASS.

“Specialists of JSC Russian Railways (RZD) literally within a few days agreed on the transportation of Russian and Kazakh cargo to Armenia through the territories of Azerbaijan and Georgia. And the first shipment of grain, arriving in Armenia by rail for the first time in thirty years, was Russian. Now fertilizers are being shipped, and the range of cargo is expanding,” Overchuk stated.

He is convinced that this is beneficial for everyone: Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia.

“Everyone has a new source of income, and Russia is directly related to this,” the deputy prime minister noted.

“The Russian government is interested in developing trade and increasing cargo flow between our countries,” Overchuk said.

“We are grateful to Azerbaijan and Georgia for very constructive and effective cooperation in the matter of unblocking a state — a member of the EAEU,” emphasized the deputy prime minister.

“As for other countries in the region, we have normal relations with Armenia’s neighbors — Iran and Turkey. Apart from these four countries, there are no other neighbors,” Overchuk added.

“If we speak about the countries from which cargo is expected to be sent, we are talking about the countries of Central Asia and China. We also have normal relations with all these countries,” the deputy prime minister noted.

“If we talk about where this cargo will be sent, we told the leadership of Armenia that we will not obstruct this and are interested in the effective operation of the concession. Therefore, it is unclear who from the north, south, west, or east wants to exclude the participation of JSC RZD in the development of the 1520 space (territory with a track gauge of 1520 mm),” stated the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government.

Sale of the SCR concession in Armenia

There are no objective reasons to sell the concession of the South Caucasus Railway (SCR, a subsidiary of RZD) to a third party, said Alexey Overchuk.

“It is obvious to us that there are no objective reasons to sell the SCR concession to any third party,” he noted.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that in Russia, “it is customary to judge not by words, but by deeds, and they indicate that first they took away the ownership of a private electricity company, and now they have raised the issue of the railway concession.”

“How should one respond to this?” he asked.

Construction of Western data centers in Armenia

Yerevan will gain little from the construction of Western data centers in Armenia, and the long-term effects will likely be negative, Overchuk noted.

“Armenia will gain little from this, and the long-term effects will be mostly negative,” he emphasized.

According to Overchuk, the construction of data centers almost does not create jobs, and being able to collect taxes from their profits is “a separate kind of art.”

“However, it is known that the presence of data centers directly affects the growth of retail electricity prices, which will also impact the real lives of people and businesses,” added the Russian deputy prime minister.

Armenia’s trade with the EU

Alexey Overchuk stated that representatives of Armenian business must soberly assess the prospects for selling goods to the EU.

“I am confident that Armenian business soberly evaluates the prospects of selling Armenian fruit and vegetable and flower products, Armenian mineral water, and Armenian alcohol in the European market. Workers of these industries, as well as the carriers of this products, should also think about this,” he noted.

“Of course, someone might say that Armenia has a European perspective and its ties with the EAEU are needed only for the period until trade with the EU replaces trade with the EAEU. However, the interest of Europeans in allowing Armenian goods into the European market has already been stated,” Overchuk added.

Presence of Russian companies in Armenia

Russian Deputy PM stressed that talks about the undesirability of the presence of Russian companies in Armenia raise the question of Armenian business operating in Russia.

“The reality is that the Armenian railway, if it survives, will have to remain a railway serving the needs of its own economy, the real prospects of which are tied to the EAEU. Our interest is in increasing trade with Armenia, as with all countries in the region, but if we are told that the presence of Russian companies in Armenia does not correspond to the interests of Armenia, then based on the principle of reciprocity, it is fair to ask — if Russian companies and entrepreneurs cannot be present and earn in Armenia, why can Armenian companies and entrepreneurs be present and earn in Russia?” he noted.

Overchuk emphasized that foreign economic relations are “a two-way road.”

“Without mutual trade, there is no movement of cargo, and the loading of the Armenian railway also depends on this. Armenian business operating in Russia should pay attention to this. After all, we consider that the issue is set precisely in this context, and it needs to be discussed openly,” the Russian deputy prime minister said.

Possible Armenian EU membership

Alexey Overchuk made it clear that Moscow sees that Armenia is being prepared for EU membership, which has become a bloc hostile to Russia. He emphasized that the implementation of this scenario will lead to serious consequences.

“What we observe in the example of the twists and turns with the railway concession [of Russia on the railways of Armenia] fits the political logic of the rapprochement proclaimed by the Armenian leadership with the European Union, which is experiencing an economic decline and transforming into a military-political bloc hostile to Russia,” Overchuk stated.

He noted that “whether Armenians want to become part of a bloc hostile to Russia is the Armenians’ own business.”

“For us, it is obvious that they are being prepared for this, as are the long-term serious consequences of such a development of events,” said Overchuk.

Russia and Armenia lost $5.1 billion in mutual trade in 2025 due to talks about Yerevan’s rapprochement with the European Union (EU), added Overchuk.

“In September 2024, we drew the attention of our Armenian colleagues to the fact that their talks about striving to join the EU negatively affected the attitude of Russian entrepreneurs toward trade with Armenia. Those very talks about rapprochement with the EU cost Russian-Armenian relations a real $5.1 billion,” he said.

The deputy head of government cited specific figures, noting that at the end of 2024, the volume of mutual trade between Russia and Armenia amounted to $11.5 billion, and in 2025 it decreased, according to preliminary data, to approximately $6.4 billion.

“And how, do you think, will Russian entrepreneurs react to the presence of Armenian business in Russia if Russian business is pushed out of Armenia? And what will happen next? I believe that neither in Armenia nor in Russia do they want to know the answer to this question, although it is obvious,” Overchuk said.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov