If Armenia follows the path of the EU integration, it will objectively lead to a revision of the established economic relations that Yerevan currently has with its partners in the EAEU, Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin said.
According to him, it's not that Russia would like to exclude Armenia or cause harm in the context of their economic cooperation, because Yerevan is Moscow's ally, a strategic partner, with whom Russia is linked - as with Georgia - by a centuries-old shared history, a shared victory in the Great Patriotic War.
"The thing is that objectively, simultaneous membership in the EU and the EAEU is impossible, since these unions have different customs and tariff regulations; they are essentially different economic blocs. Accordingly, our Armenian partners will probably have to decide at some point in which direction they are going," Mikhail Galuzin said.
Participation in the EAEU brings obvious benefits to the population of Armenia, he noted. This is expressed in very significant figures for Armenia’s GDP growth" over the past year, it has been about 6%.
The EU, in turn, gives Armenia just a set of requirements and criteria with an unclear prospect of entry. According to Galuzin, the EU integration will probably be a rather painful process, the country's leadership will explain to its population what it can lose by leaving the EAEU, and what it can gain from membership in the EU.
Speaking in an interview with Izvestia daily, the Russian deputy foreign minister expressed hope that Yerevan is guided by common sense.
"We highly appreciate its successful presidency of the EAEU last year, in 2024, so our cooperation continues. Representatives of the country also actively participate in all events, in all expert meetings of the CIS bodies,” Mikhail Galuzin said.
