“The Russian ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, S. Kopyrkin, was summoned to Moscow for consultations on the steps taken by Armenia's leaders towards rapprochement with the European Union, which undermines cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union“, the Russian ministry said in an official statement, referring to the regional customs union headed by Moscow.
During Friday's summit in Kazakhstan, Putin invoked what he called the “Ukrainian scenario” when warning Armenia against strengthening ties with the EU.
The Russian leader called on Armenia to hold a referendum on its economic future “as soon as possible,” stressing that Armenia must choose between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union, declaring that “these two options cannot be reconciled.”
Armenia is getting closer to the West. The pressure is growing
Russia is putting pressure on Armenia
Over the past month, Russia has restricted the sale or import of Armenian agricultural products, flowers, mineral water and alcoholic beverages due to alleged violations of health and safety regulations. These restrictions increasingly look like a coordinated pressure campaign ahead of next month's parliamentary elections in Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's “Civic Contract” party will face a number of pro-Russian opposition groups.
This week, Russia also threatened to terminate the 2013 bilateral agreement, guaranteeing Armenia duty-free access to natural gas and oil if the country continues to seek closer ties with the European Union.
Pashinyan ignored the energy threats, arguing that EU membership would ultimately bring much more money to Armenia than it would lose from higher energy costs imposed by Russia.
