Armenian premier says Yerevan does not plan referendum on EU or EAEU choice

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Monday that Yerevan does not plan to hold a referendum on whether to remain in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) or pursue European Union membership.

“We will hold a referendum at the moment when there is an objective need for it. My assessment is that there is simply no such objective necessity,” Pashinyan said, according to state news agency Armenpress.

His remarks followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestion Saturday that Armenia consider a referendum on its geopolitical alignment. Putin said Moscow would accept a “gentle, intelligent and mutually beneficial divorce” if Yerevan chose closer ties with the EU.

Pashinyan rejected the comparison with a “divorce,” saying “we sometimes confuse interstate relations with marriage.”

“I do not agree with that formulation. Armenia is guided in its interstate relations by an interstate logic,” he said.

The Armenian premier said the country remains a full EAEU member and continues to participate fully in the bloc’s decision-making.

Pashinyan also stressed that Armenia’s policy is entirely public, adding that nothing “conspiratorial lies” behind it.

“And I have said before that we have not had, do not have, and will not have the goal of harming Russia’s interests; we will continue to be guided by Armenia’s national interests, and we will continue to deepen our relations with Russia, with the understanding that an inevitable transformation of those relations is taking place,” he added.

He further said he maintains “working relations” with the Russian president based on mutual trust.

“We have discussed the most sensitive issues in a very calm, respectful, and friendly atmosphere, based on arguments and facts. I will continue in that logic. My respect to the President of Russia and to Russia,” he said.

Pashinyan to skip EAEU meeting in Astana

Pashinyan also said he will not participate in the EAEU leaders’ meeting scheduled to take place in Astana on May 28.

The prime minister said he had already informed Putin during their meeting in April that he would be unable to attend both the May 9 events in Moscow and the May 28 EAEU meeting.

He noted that Armenia will be represented at the session by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

Earlier, Putin said Armenia should decide “as soon as possible” whether to join the EU or remain in the EAEU, stressing that Yerevan enjoys “significant advantages” within the Eurasian Economic Union in areas such as agriculture, the processing industry and migration.

Putin also told Pashinyan last month that Moscow remains calm about Armenia’s growing relations with the EU.

He nevertheless underlined that Yerevan could not simultaneously be part of both the EAEU and the EU.

Armenia last week hosted dozens of leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for a summit of the European Political Community, alongside a separate summit between the EU and Armenia in the capital Yerevan.