Russian Foreign Ministry advises Armenia to hold referendum before applying to EU

A referendum in Armenia on joining the European Union should come before an application is submitted, Alexander Pankin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, said in an interview with TASS.

“The search for a place for Armenia in the European Union, initiated by [Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan’s team, has led to a paradoxical situation in which the real benefits of participating in the Eurasian Economic Union are being used to promote the ephemeral idea of switching to a different integration bloc,” the diplomat said.

In his view, “the natural, logical outcome in these circumstances would be a referendum at which the people of Armenia would express their will, as provided for in the country’s Constitution, on the question of its future integration course.”

“Moreover, logic suggests that a referendum should be held first, asking the people, and only then should an official application be submitted to Brussels, and not the other way around, as the Armenian leadership has been publicly insisting on recently,” Pankin said.

The deputy minister explained: “If the application is submitted, no one will care about the people’s opinion anymore.”

“To give an objective picture of the clear advantages Armenia has gained as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and the potential losses from severing integration ties, a report on the possible consequences of suspending the EAEU Treaty with respect to Armenia was recently presented to the public. It was prepared pursuant to a joint statement by the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia,” the Russian deputy foreign minister recalled.

He clarified that the scenario set out in the report “is considered a last resort to prevent risks to economic security and damage to the member states of the Union.” “Whether it will be implemented depends on the Armenian leadership’s willingness to address the concerns that have arisen among the other member states of the Eurasian Economic Union,” Pankin said.

He added that “so far, Moscow has not received any constructive signals from Yerevan on this matter.”