Putin, Pashinyan discuss Armenia’s EAEU membership: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the fate of Yerevan’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Kremlin said on Monday.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two leaders, during a phone call earlier in the day, touched upon all aspects of the issue, including a statement by other EAEU member states on the need to hold a referendum in Armenia to determine whether its people see their future with the European Union or the EAEU.

“They discussed it as a whole. A discussion took place in continuation of the agenda that was on the Supreme Council, which took place in Astana,” he said, referring to the summit of EAEU leaders held last week in Kazakhstan’s capital.

He emphasized that the quadrilateral statement envisages that all nuances related to Armenia’s membership in the union will be worked out before December.

Asked about Lithuania’s claims that it does not allow its airspace to be used by Ukraine for strikes on Russia, Peskov said the matter should be assessed by the military.

Last week, Russia recalled its ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, for consultations.

The move comes amid mounting tensions between Moscow and Yerevan over Armenia’s European aspirations. Earlier this year, Armenia reaffirmed its intention to pursue closer ties with the EU, prompting warnings from Russian officials that such a course could jeopardize the country’s participation in the Russian-led EAEU and lead to the loss of a range of economic preferences.