The EU is making life worse for all citizens, and Armenia is heading down that path: Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova, the official spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sharply criticized Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s drive toward European Union integration. According to her, association with the Brussels bureaucracy means adopting its “directives,” which lead to a deterioration in citizens’ quality of life.

“Do you remember that the main, well, as we now understand it, practical objective of the Brussels bureaucracy is to make citizens of their countries, the countries of their union, live worse, not better? Well, if Nikol Vovayevich Pashinyan identifies himself with the Brussels bureaucracy, he probably also accepts these so-called directives,” Zakharova said on Sputnik radio.

She emphasized that, unlike the EU, cooperation within the EAEU is built on the principles of equal rights, a free market, fair competition, and the rule of law, without politicization.

As a reminder, president Vladimir Putin previously noted that combining membership in the EAEU and the EU is impossible. His aide Yury Ushakov added that Yerevan’s attempts to “sit on two chairs” are damaging bilateral relations with Russia. Putin proposed discussing Armenia’s EU plans at the upcoming EAEU summit.