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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday appeared to accuse some political forces in Armenia of exploiting what he described as the usual export-import issues within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Pashinyan was asked by reporters about Russia’s growing restrictions in recent weeks on the import of Armenian goods.
The Armenian prime minister, speaking outside a polling station after casting his vote in the parliamentary elections, said that such matters pertaining to phytosanitary standards and re-exports are constantly arising and are discussed regularly between EAEU members, of which Armenia and Russia are both members.
“Every time at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting and the Intergovernmental Council meeting, we discuss dozens of issues on the agenda related to phytosanitary matters, standards, exports, re-exports, and issues of product origin,” Pashinyan said.
“All EAEU countries are interested and concerned that goods from third countries should not be imported, labeled as EAEU goods, and then re-exported to another EAEU country.”
Such issues arise constantly, he said, adding that the current public emphasis on them is driven by the interests of certain forces operating in Armenia.
Armenia was earlier notified by its union partners—Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—that they would like to see a referendum in Armenia choosing between staying in the EAEU or withdrawing and moving toward the European Union. The developments come amid growing ties between Armenia and the EU, which Armenia says do not contradict its EAEU membership for now.
In response to that statement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 1 that Armenia will continue to work within the Eurasian Economic Union framework until the point when 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.
In light of these developments, Russia has been imposing growing import restrictions on a wide range of Armenian goods in the run-up to the Armenian parliamentary elections held on June 7. This has prompted Armenian exporters to look for new markets, particularly in the EU.
Pashinyan is leading the Civil Contract party’s re-election bid.