Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will not travel to the EAEU summit in Astana, scheduled for May 28-29. Instead, he will send Vice Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. Pashinyan announced that he had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in advance.
Nikol Pashinyan. Photo: AP Photo / Pavel Bednyakov
According to the Armenian Prime Minister, he will not be able to participate in the summit due to the election campaign for the parliamentary elections on June 7 and a military parade scheduled for May 28.
On May 9, Vladimir Putin stated that Armenia should hold a referendum on the possibility of withdrawing from the EAEU and rapprochement with the European Union. He noted that in such a case, countries could follow the path of a "soft, intelligent, and mutually beneficial" divorce, hinting, however, at the Ukrainian scenario after Kyiv's course towards the EU.
Pashinyan responded that Armenia currently does not plan to put the question of EAEU membership to a referendum. He emphasized that the country continues to respect its partners in the union and remains its full participant.
The Armenian Prime Minister also disagreed with the word "divorce" used by Putin to describe relations between the countries. According to him, interstate relations should not be compared to family relations.
Pashinyan noted that Armenia has no intention of harming Russia's interests, and his relationship with Putin remains trusting. At the same time, he confirmed that Yerevan will continue to develop cooperation with the European Union and carry out democratic reforms, guided by the country's national interests.
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