Russian lawmaker says Armenian PM’s overtures to EU could lead to demise

A senior Russian lawmaker, Alexey Zhuravlev, has warned that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's escalating tensions with Moscow and growing ties with the European Union could lead only to the disappearance of Armenia as a state.

First deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma's Defence Committee said Pashinyan is "not in a position to set conditions," Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"He has become dizzy with success—he won the election, although the majority of the country's population cannot stand him, and he played musical instruments with [French President Emmanuel] Macron. So he pretends that he has a major influence on world politics. In reality, Armenia is sustained by Russia, and a quarrel with our country would not simply be disadvantageous—it would be fatal," Zhuravlev noted.

Pashinyan recently highlighted Armenia's role in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and reported pressure from the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia.

Zhuravlev also argued that Armenian products, including brandy and apricots, would lose their market if Yerevan were to abruptly sever relations with Moscow.

Zhuravlev further commented on what he described as EU pressure on Armenia to support sanctions against Russia and introduce visas for Russian citizens, as well as Pashinyan's assertion that Armenia's withdrawal from the EAEU would mark the beginning of the bloc's decline.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov