Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday defined the issue of holding a referendum on his country’s possible withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and subsequent EU membership as “unreasonable.”
Citing remarks in a video posted on social media, Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported that Pashinyan said Yerevan is and will continue to work within the EAEU until the point when making a choice between it and the EU “becomes unavoidable.”
“Naturally, that decision must be made by the people of the Republic of Armenia through a referendum,” he said, arguing there are currently no grounds for holding such a vote since European integration is not yet at a stage where a clear choice can be presented.
Pashinyan said holding any referendum on the topic would be “unreasonable” until Armenia has either officially applied for EU membership or is close to obtaining candidate status.
“Today, that choice is theoretical, and putting a theoretical choice to a referendum is, of course, neither very sensible nor justified,” the prime minister added.
“Therefore, we will continue to work calmly and steadily, without disputes, within the Eurasian Economic Union, and I am convinced that we still have potential in this direction, which we will use in the near future.”
Pashinyan’s remarks come as leaders of EAEU members voiced the need for a referendum “as soon as possible” in Armenia on the country’s EU accession or continued membership in the EAEU in a joint statement published on Sunday.
“We share the position on the need to hold, in the Republic of Armenia, a nationwide referendum as soon as possible on accession to the European Union or continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union,” the statement read.
The EAEU consists of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. It was established in 2015 at Kazakhstan's initiative to maintain economic ties in the Eurasian space.
However, the issue of Armenia’s geopolitical orientation has become a growing source of tension within the Moscow-led bloc in recent months, following Yerevan’s intensified engagement with the EU and the adoption of legislation launching a process aimed at eventual EU accession early last year.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that membership in the EU and the EAEU is incompatible, while Armenian authorities have maintained that they intend to preserve cooperation within the EAEU while expanding ties with Europe.
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