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Amid restrictions imposed by Russia on the import and transit of Armenian products, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) must answer whether it exists in accordance with its founding principles.
Speaking at a weekly briefing on Thursday, Pashinyan reminded that the EAEU is based on four key freedoms: the free movement of goods, services, labor, and capital.
“Fine, a problem can exist for one month, two months, three months. But if the problem still exists in the fourth month, it means the EAEU does not exist. If the EAEU declares that it does not exist, what are we to do then?” Pashinyan said.
He made this statement in response to a question about the possibility of freezing Armenia’s participation in the EAEU, as the country had previously done with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in 2024 after the CSTO failed to respond to Azerbaijan’s attacks on Armenia in 2021 and 2022.
On Thursday, Pashinyan stated that this issue concerns not only Armenia but also other EAEU member states that harbor similar concerns.
“Rest assured, they are concerned because everyone understands that the same could happen to them. If we do not resolve this issue quickly, the collapse of the EAEU will be inevitable,” Pashinyan stated.
Earlier that day, the Prime Minister made similar statements at a government meeting during a discussion on support measures for exporters affected by Russian restrictions on Armenian goods.
On the same day, Russia completely banned the import of fish products from Armenia. This was the latest measure in a series of restrictions affecting a wide range of Armenian export goods. These restrictions began to be introduced a few weeks before the parliamentary elections on June 7 and are viewed by many as a form of political pressure aimed at influencing the election results in favor of pro-Russian opposition parties.
Speaking about Russia’s restrictions on the import of Armenian products and the transit of Armenian goods through Russian territory to other EAEU countries, Pashinyan once again recalled the principle of the free movement of goods within the union.
“The EAEU must give a clear answer to this question: does it exist or not? We proceed from the assumption that it does exist, and as a member state, we believe that some kind of misunderstanding has occurred. If the EAEU says, ‘You know, I no longer exist,’ then what can we do?” the Prime Minister said.
He also noted that economic diversification is taking place in other EAEU member states as well, although this is not officially announced.
“Therefore, there is indeed much to discuss within the EAEU, and I intend to take the earliest opportunity to initiate this discussion,” Pashinyan stated.
The Prime Minister also commented on a statement adopted by other EAEU member states in his absence, following calls in Armenia to hold a referendum by the end of May on choosing between the EAEU and the European Union.
“I also have questions for our partners regarding the statement they adopted in my absence,” he said, adding: “We need to understand what this means in practice. In other words, we must understand whether one EAEU member state can make such decisions regarding another member state and just wake up one day and approve them. In my assessment, if the answer to this question is positive, then the EAEU is effectively declaring its own self-dissolution, and we will have to draw the appropriate conclusions.”
Pashinyan stated that Armenia’s future strategy would depend on the answer given by the EAEU.
“There must be an absolutely clear answer: does the EAEU exist or not? If it exists, we will define our position. If not, then there will no longer be any need to define it,” the Prime Minister concluded.