No EAEU member has taken an “oath of allegiance” and is free to make decisions, says PM

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, addressing the issue of Armenia potentially leaving the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) during a press briefing with journalists on September 3, noted that no country in the bloc has taken an “oath of allegiance” and that each country is free to make its own decision.

“Who says that all EAEU member countries have taken an oath of allegiance that they will remain EAEU members throughout their entire existence? Yes, a timeframe for making a decision has been established: six months before making the decision, the organization must be notified. And we have said that we are proceeding based on that logic and this reality. Therefore, this is our position, and we are consistently working with our Russian partners to make this position more understandable and acceptable,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the above-mentioned issue during their meeting in Bishkek on the sidelines of the SCO summit. The discussion centered on Armenia’s EU integration moves, while Moscow continues to warn that Armenia’s current membership in the EAEU is incompatible with membership in any other bloc. Armenia has said that there is currently no issue of incompatibility.

Pashinyan told Putin that the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union explicitly states how to proceed if a country decides to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Union, namely, by providing six months’ advance notice.

The Armenian prime minister noted that, at present, Armenia has not informed its partners that it is preparing to withdraw from the bloc.