Media: The West advised Pashinyan not to yield to Moscow
Western partners have urged Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to remain calm and restrained in the event of possible pressure from Russia or demands to choose one of the foreign policy directions.
This is reported by the newspaper "Hraparak," citing sources in the government. According to the publication, the recommendations were made after Pashinyan's telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The newspaper's sources also claim that signals are coming from Russia through diplomatic channels about Moscow's possible use of tougher measures against Armenia.
Earlier, on July 27, Pashinyan and Putin discussed Armenian-Russian relations and problems in bilateral economic cooperation. The Armenian prime minister called for lifting restrictions on the export of Armenian goods to Russia and stated that a referendum on the country's accession to the EU is possible only after an official application for membership has been submitted.
The Kremlin reported that during the conversation, emphasis was placed on the need for a nationwide referendum on the question of Armenia's accession to the EU or the preservation of its membership in the EAEU.
The telephone conversation between Pashinyan and Putin took place against the backdrop of disagreements between Moscow and Yerevan related to Armenia's course toward rapprochement with the European Union. Russian authorities had previously stated that simultaneous participation in the EU and the EAEU is impossible and called on Yerevan to make its choice. The Armenian leadership, for its part, has repeatedly emphasized that it does not set itself the task of withdrawing from the EAEU and that the question of a referendum can arise only after the country officially applies to join the EU.
Against this backdrop, since the end of May, Rosselkhoznadzor has gradually introduced restrictions on supplies of flowers, vegetables, fruits, grapes, and dried fruits from Armenia, and has also suspended the certification of live fish and fish products intended for export to Russia. At the end of May, the Russian president and the leaders of other EAEU member states, in a joint statement, called on Yerevan to determine its foreign economic course by holding a referendum on the question of joining the European Union or preserving its membership in the EAEU. The question of Armenia's further participation in the union may be brought up for discussion at the next EAEU summit in December. Later, on June 25, Pashinyan stated that if the EAEU countries can make decisions against one of the member states, this means the "self-dissolution" of the union.
Source: Armenia Today
