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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has reiterated that the Armenian government is pursuing a foreign policy of diversification and creating alternatives for Armenia, which is the “sovereign and legitimate right” of every country.
Speaking to Russian media during a press briefing in Kyrgyzstan on the sidelines of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting, Pashinyan was asked whether it is important for him that Armenia remain a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
“I have already said that our goal is to create alternatives for Armenia. I believe that this is the legitimate right of every country. All countries are working in this direction in order to have alternatives. I think that, at this point, the best course for the EAEU would be not to torpedo this process but, on the contrary, to work to increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EAEU. I believe this is the right approach, and I have already said that Armenia is ready to work in that direction.”
Asked whether it would not be more appropriate simply to make a choice, Pashinyan replied:
“First, that choice has to be created. Of course, I have taken note of my colleagues’ May 29 statement. I treat it with respect. By the way, it is very interesting that our colleagues support the idea of holding a referendum in Armenia on EU membership. I also support that approach,” Pashinyan said, referring to the statement by fellow EAEU member state leaders calling on Yerevan to hold a referendum on whether to remain in the EAEU or pursue EU membership.
Asked whether such a referendum would take place, the Armenian prime minister replied:
“A referendum, of course, will take place, but only after Armenia officially applies for EU membership, and institutional work must be carried out in that direction. Holding a referendum today is impossible because the subject of such a referendum does not exist. Let us imagine that we organize a referendum now and say that it is necessary to choose between the EU and the EAEU. What would our citizens’ reaction be? They would ask: what prospects do we have for becoming an EU member, what would our roadmap be, and so on. There would be many questions to which we have no answers, and no one else does either.”
Pashinyan also addressed the restrictions imposed by Russia on the import of Armenian goods, stressing that, in this context, what is happening within the EAEU creates only a negative perception of the union in Armenia.
“I mean the restrictions that our respected Russian partners are imposing on Armenian goods,” Pashinyan stressed.
Asked whether he had compared the prospects for Armenian goods in the EAEU and the EU markets, Pashinyan replied that raising the competitiveness of products and production standards is a very important issue for every country.
“We are working in that direction, all our partners in the EAEU are working in that direction, and so is everyone else. Because the competitiveness of every product and every economy is the most important thing. The main idea I raised in my speech was that we should not make this process negative. This is actually a very good opportunity for the EAEU to work together to increase its attractiveness and competitiveness. But it is very important to understand that without fundamental principles and without the ability to implement them, the EAEU will find itself in crisis. What is happening now with Armenian goods is, of course, a problem for Armenia, but it is also a major problem for the EAEU, because in practice it now turns out that the EAEU is not functioning. If the principles do not work, then the EAEU does not work either. All states and all governments pursue diversification policies. That is their sovereign and legitimate right.”
Asked whether he had compared Armenia’s trade turnover with the EAEU and the EU, Pashinyan said he had not made such a comparison because it is not on Armenia’s agenda.
“The issue now is not to make such a comparison. The issue is creating alternatives for Armenia. By the way, some of our partners in the EAEU provoked this process by saying that Armenia is not needed by anyone and that no one is waiting for Armenia anywhere. We did not take that message negatively. On the contrary, we took it positively and began working to show that the reality is completely different,” Pashinyan said.
Asked whether the EU is forcing Armenia to sever ties with Russia, Pashinyan replied:
“If anyone has the leverage to force Armenia to do something, that leverage is certainly not in Brussels, not in the West, not in the South, and not in the East.”