Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that any referendum on Armenia's potential membership in the European Union can only take place after the country formally applies to join the 27-member bloc.
"Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized that holding a referendum is practically possible only after Armenia submits an official application to the European Union for EU membership and makes the topic substantive,” a statement by Pashinyan's office said after a phone call between Pashinyan and Putin.
The statement said Pashinyan’s remarks came with regards to the topic of holding such a referendum in Armenia, which it said is also written in a joint statement adopted after a Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) leaders meeting in May.
Following the EAEU meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana on May 29, the Russian president, as well as the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, said in a joint statement that they shared the need to hold a nationwide referendum in the South Caucasus nation on EU accession or continued EAEU membership "as soon as possible.”
The EAEU was formed under a treaty signed in May 2014 that entered into force in January 2015. Its members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. The economic union also includes four observer states, i.e. Cuba, Iran, Moldova, and Uzbekistan.
While Armenia remains a member of the EAEU since 2015, Pashinyan's government has deepened ties with the EU and repeatedly declared its intention to pursue closer integration with Western institutions.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have warned that such a course could jeopardize the country's participation in the Russian-led EAEU and lead to the loss of a range of economic preferences.
The statement on the phone call also said that an exchange of views took place on the agenda of Armenia-Russia ties, particularly on problems emerging in bilateral economic relations.
Pashinyan "emphasized that restrictions on the export of goods of Armenian origin to the Russian market contradict the Armenia-Russia legal framework and the regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, and asked to take measures to resolve these issues.”
"At the same time, Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the readiness of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to resolve the aforementioned issues through open, partnership-based and friendly dialogue,” the statement added.
Separately, the Kremlin in a separate statement said Putin reaffirmed his commitment to the EAEU joint statement adopted in May.
"It was notably emphasised that Armenia needed to promptly hold a national referendum on whether the country should join the EU or remain in the EAEU,” the readout said.
