Armenia has no prospects for European integration — Andrey Bunich

Speaking with Alpha News, economist Andrey Bunich commented on a statement by Russian Deputy FM Mikhail Galuzin. Galuzin noted that Russia does not intend to compromise Armenia’s interests in the EAEU despite Armenia’s European path, although leaving the union would prove painful for the country’s population.

“In my opinion, Armenia has no prospects for European integration, as this remains uncertain even for much larger countries that have been in line for years. Therefore, even theoretically, it is difficult to imagine that Armenia can get into the European Union. In my opinion, this is just a political trick. That is, in fact, they are not talking about Armenia being in the European Union but about the fact that it itself simply wants to be there. However, they can want whatever they want, as this idea is absolutely not supported by reality. This is unrealistic based on current geopolitics, economics, simply from the situation in which the European Union itself is,” Bunich said.

According to the economist, this is nothing more than false hope designed to mislead the population.

“Even if we hypothetically imagine that Armenia somehow joins the European Union, what would it bring to the table? What would the economic impact be? It would be exclusively negative. That is why I think that this is absolute nonsense and just a political trick, because, in my opinion, it is simply impossible. This hope is simply a tool to deceive people, creating the illusion that EU membership would result in financial support and effortless prosperity. Of course, this is pure fantasy. If they pursue this path towards the European Union and quarrel with Russia, then prices will rise. Even the economy that is working will collapse. Therefore, this will lead to economic challenges and nothing more,” Bunich concluded.