Pashinyan commented on a possible referendum regarding the EAEU and the EU
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that holding a referendum on choosing between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the EU is illogical until such a choice becomes inevitable.
He made this statement on June 1 on his Facebook page, Panorama agency reports.
“We are significantly developing and value our relations with Russia, and, as I have said many times, our relations with Russia are in a phase of transformation. I consider this phase of transformation to be positive,” Nikol Pashinyan said during a live broadcast.
“In the context of this new reality, we are establishing new relations with Russia. I am confident that we will succeed in this process, in particular because our relations with Russia are open and sincere; there are no hidden agendas in these relations.
I also want to say that within the framework of the EAEU, we are working and will continue to work until the choice between the EU and the EAEU becomes inevitable. And the decision, naturally, must be made by the people of the Republic of Armenia through a referendum,” said Nikol Pashinyan.
“When this referendum will take place is also a very important question. In any case, until Armenia has officially applied for EU membership or moved closer to EU candidate status, holding any referendum is illogical. Why? Because, in essence, there is no basis—that is, the conditions have not been established—for us to present the people with a choice: to go down this path or another.
In other words, today this choice is purely theoretical, and putting a theoretical choice to a referendum is, of course, not very wise, correct, or justified.
“Therefore, we will continue to work calmly, peacefully, without tension, and without disputes within the Eurasian Economic Union, and I am convinced that we still have potential in this direction, which we will utilize in the near future,” Pashinyan stated.
It should be noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on May 29, in particular: “And we would ask our Armenian partners and friends—Prime Minister Pashinyan himself said this—that he plans, and believes it is right, to hold a referendum on where Armenia should be: in the Eurasian Economic Union or in the European Union. We would ask that this be done as soon as possible.”
In addition, on May 29, the Kremlin published a joint statement by the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Sadyr Zhaparov regarding an assessment of the possible consequences of suspending the Eurasian Economic Union treaty with respect to the Republic of Armenia. “We share the position on the need to hold a nationwide referendum in the Republic of Armenia as soon as possible on accession to the European Union or continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union,” the statement notes.
Earlier, Russia recalled its ambassador from Armenia for consultations in Moscow amid reports of Yerevan’s rapprochement with the European Union. The Russian Foreign Ministry attributes this move to political differences between the countries. In fact, this is yet another sign of tension in relations between Moscow and Yerevan.
Rospotrebnadzor blocked the sale of a large shipment of the Armenian mineral water brand “Jermuk,” totaling 64.5 million bottles.
