Russian President Vladimir Putin pressed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to clarify whether Yerevan intends to join the European Union (EU) during a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek on Tuesday.
“We would like to ask you to provide clarity on this issue as soon as possible,” Putin told Pashinyan, adding that he respected any decision made by the Armenian people on the issue.
“The sooner we have clarity, the better, because we also need to understand how to develop relations with Armenia, first and foremost in economic terms,” Putin added.
Pashinyan told Armenia’s Parliament in late August that the country would begin preparing to apply for EU membership “in the near future,” while stressing that Yerevan would hold a referendum on the decision before formally applying.
In the talks on Tuesday, Putin emphasised that Yerevan’s plans to join the bloc conflicted with continued membership of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
“The adoption of a law on launching the procedure for joining another economic organisation essentially amounts to an announcement of withdrawal from our organisation, because membership of both at the same time is incompatible,” he added.
Pashinyan replied that it was too soon for Yerevan to make a choice between the EU and the EAEU.
“We understand that the time will come when it will be necessary to make a very clear choice. Our position is simply that this time has not yet come,” he said.
Russia is Armenia’s largest trading partner. Trade between the two countries was estimated to be $12 billion in 2024, before falling to approximately $8 billion in 2025 and with continued decline in 2026.
Moscow has accounted for more than 35 per cent of Armenia's trade turnover. The EU, by comparison, accounts for only 7.5 per cent of Armenia’s trade. However, the bloc has recently made significant efforts to boost trade with the country, including a proposal to remove tariffs on most Armenian exports and promising visa liberalisation.
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