Putin calls Pashinyan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Putin conveyed birthday greetings to Pashinyan, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

The Armenian prime minister thanked Putin for the call and the birthday wishes.

Pashinyan and Putin also exchanged views on current issues on the bilateral and multilateral agenda.

“The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia expressed gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation for his balanced positions on a number of issues that have given rise to misinterpretations, as well as for his friendly tone and support,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The two leaders agreed to continue their discussions at a suitable opportunity in the near future at an in-person meeting.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said in its readout that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vladimir Putin also discussed the results of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council session held on May 29 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

“During the telephone conversation, the parties discussed the outcomes of the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council held in Astana on May 29,” the Kremlin said.

Armenia, a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), was notified by its union partners—Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—that they would like to see a referendum in Armenia on whether to remain in the EAEU or withdraw and pursue membership in the European Union. These developments come amid growing ties between Armenia and the EU, which Yerevan says do not, for now, contradict its EAEU membership.

In response to the statement adopted at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council session, Pashinyan noted that Armenia would continue to work within the Eurasian Economic Union framework until the point at which choosing between the European Union and the EAEU becomes unavoidable. 

The Prime Minister noted that there are currently no grounds for holding such a referendum, as Armenia’s European integration process is not yet at a stage where citizens can be presented with a clear choice.

“Until the point when Armenia has either officially applied for EU membership or is very close to obtaining candidate status, holding any referendum would be unreasonable,” Pashinyan said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan represented Armenia at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council instead of Pashinyan, who said he would not attend because of the election campaigning period.