Russian foreign ministry calls EU’s promises of support for Armenia declarative

The support measures promised by Brussels for Armenia are far from reality, Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Department of European Affairs at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

In July, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the EU would provide Yerevan with assistance amounting to 52 million euros. She also promised that 80 percent of Armenian goods entering the bloc’s market would not be subject to duties.

“The support measures currently being offered by the EU to Armenia are largely declarative in nature,” the diplomat noted.

The EU’s internal market is highly competitive and heavily regulated, and Armenian products will not be welcomed there “with open arms.” At the same time, he recalled, candidate countries wait decades for membership in the bloc.