Armenian premier says Yerevan prioritizes EAEU ties, acknowledges EU membership is incompatible

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Friday that strengthening ties with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) remains a priority for Yerevan, while acknowledging that simultaneous membership in the bloc and the European Union is impossible.

Speaking at a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in the Kyrgyz city of Cholpon-Ata, Pashinyan said Armenia adopted a law in 2025 to launch the EU accession process, but that the move was intended to create a strategic alternative.

He stressed that the law does not mean Armenia is currently in a position to join the EU, noting that accession would require institutional preparations, a formal membership application, EU candidate status, approval by EU member states and the support of Armenian voters.

Pashinyan said holding a referendum before those conditions are met would be “meaningless” because citizens would be asked to decide “on an option that does not yet exist.”

“This would be disrespectful to our people and practically illegitimate,” he said.

He also stressed that Armenia’s current relationship with the EU creates no legal, economic or political obligations that conflict with its commitments under the EAEU.

“The Eurasian Economic Union should not be viewed as a space of restrictions,” he said, adding that cooperation between EAEU member states and third countries should not be treated as a “zero-sum game.”

He reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the founding principles of the EAEU treaty, including equality among member states and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation.

He added that the bloc’s long-term attractiveness depends on respecting member states’ sovereign rights and honoring existing agreements.

Following the EAEU meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana on May 29, the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan said in a joint statement that they shared the view that Armenia should hold a nationwide referendum on EU accession or continued EAEU membership “as soon as possible.”

The EAEU was established under a treaty signed in May 2014 that entered into force in January 2015. Its members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The economic union also includes four observer states: Cuba, Iran, Moldova and Uzbekistan.

While Armenia has been a member of the EAEU since 2015, Pashinyan’s government has deepened ties with the EU and repeatedly declared its intention to pursue closer integration with Western institutions.

Meanwhile, Russian officials have warned that such a course could jeopardize Armenia’s participation in the Russian-led EAEU and lead to the loss of a range of economic preferences.