Russia and Armenia are fraternal nations and the integration process binding them contributes to Armenia's economic development, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
"For many centuries, Russia and Armenia have been neighboring countries, fraternal nations. We are closely interconnected from this point of view and there are many Armenians living in our country and Russians living in Armenia. We are united by a very strong integration process. We are convinced that this integration process, namely the EAEU [the Eurasian Economic Union], annually contributes a significant share to GDP growth in Armenia," Peskov said.
He added that Moscow is interested in expanding cooperation with Yerevan and will therefore be maintaining it.
"We have a lot of things in common. We, as Russia, are a major investor in Armenia. Therefore, there is a lot to do and the relationship will continue to evolve," Peskov said.
Russia hopes that Armenia will ultimately choose the EAEU, as this integration is significantly more advantageous than its potential EU membership.
"We are convinced that our integration paradigm surpasses other alternatives in quality. And we hope that, first of all, the Armenian people and also the current Armenian leadership will come to the same conclusion after analyzing the situation," Peskov said.
According to the spokesman, Yerevan is now choosing its course of development, and Moscow cares greatly about that, because Russia and Armenia have been neighboring and fraternal countries for many centuries," TASS reported.
