Pashinyan Voted in the Parliamentary Elections in Armenia. He Stated that There is No Tension with Russia, and the Path to the EU will Continue

Photo: AP Photo / Anthony Pizzoferrato

When asked if he was ready to work in opposition in the absence of a majority, Pashinyan replied: "What the people decide, that's what we will do."

The Prime Minister of Armenia assured that Yerevan would continue to develop international relations. And when asked why, in case of victory, he "intends to go to Moscow first," he replied: "I will go to Moscow, and to Washington, and to Brussels, and to Paris, and to Tbilisi. I said that I also hope to have the opportunity to participate in the summit of the European Political Community in Baku."

Moreover, despite the latest events in Armenian-Russian relations, Pashinyan claims he sees no tension.

"Some forces operating in Armenia are trying to create tension in relations between Armenia and the Russian Federation. This tension does not arise, because we have very close relations with the President of the Russian Federation," he added.

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov recently emphasized that Armenia needs to choose between the EU and the EAEU.

Pashinyan, however, stated that Armenia cannot be deprived of its status as an EAEU member state: "Working issues of this kind occur between all EAEU countries. In the EAEU, all decisions are made by consensus, and, accordingly, Armenia also has a right of veto."

Regarding the future of Armenia, the Prime Minister noted that they would continue the path of democratic reforms with the support of European partners, adding that the European Union is Yerevan's main partner in carrying out democratic reforms.

"We will continue this path and try to bring Armenia into line with European Union standards, and this is the first strategic goal. After that, we will see, because if Armenia truly fully complies with European Union standards, we will have two possible scenarios. The first is that the European Union accepts Armenia as a full member. The other option is that the European Union does not accept Armenia as a full member, as this depends on many political nuances. For example, the European Union might decide that it does not wish to expand. This could happen," he emphasized.

In this case, however, according to Pashinyan, Armenia will still win, "because even in the second scenario, we will have a country that fully complies with European standards."

As for balancing relations between the European Union and Russia, according to him, this is a task of foreign policy. Pashinyan recalled that Yerevan pursues a balanced foreign policy and a policy of balancing.

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