EU has demanded that Armenia sever ties with Russia: FIS

The EU is already demanding that Armenia reduce the presence of Russian business in strategic sectors, sever humanitarian ties with Russia, and suppress domestic opponents who oppose this, the press bureau of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS) reported.

On Tuesday, the FIS press bureau reported that the FIS is receiving information that Brussels recognizes the inevitability of a deep economic crisis in Armenia if Yerevan withdraws from the Eurasian Economic Union. Many European countries have already signaled to EU leadership that they are not ready to open their markets to goods from Armenia at the expense of their own producers.

“At the same time, Brussels bureaucrats will continue to convince Yerevan of their unconditional support. The EU intends to explain the stalling on providing concrete assistance by saying that accession to the EU will depend entirely on Yerevan and its ‘achievements’ on the path to European integration. In particular, Nikol Pashinyan’s government is already being pressured to reduce the presence of Russian business in strategic sectors, sever humanitarian ties with Russia, and suppress domestic opponents who oppose this,” the statement said.

According to the FIS, this line is expected to be encouraged through manipulation of prospects for visa liberalization for Armenian citizens and promises to turn Armenia into a “prosperous crossroads of the world” in some “wonderful, distant future.”