Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek to hold a "special, separate bilateral meeting" at a later date, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the International Festival of Youth.
There, they intend to have a frank discussion about issues related to Yerevan's bid for EU membership and the associated implications, he noted.
According to him, Moscow has no intention of hindering Yerevan from choosing its own partners and development paths; however, it also does not wish to subsidize Armenia's preparations for EU membership through the massive preferential benefits it currently receives within the EAEU - a point Lavrov described as "quite obvious."
Amidst all these and other aspects, President Putin and Prime Minister Pashinyan met in Bishkek, the diplomat recalled.
"They agreed to hold a special, separate bilateral meeting to have a frank discussion about all of this," Lavrov said.
