Russia Summons Ambassador To Armenia Over Impaired EAEU Cooperation

(MENAFN- IANS) Moscow, May 30 (IANS) Russia has summoned its ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, for consultations over the Armenian leadership's pivot toward the European Union (EU), the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

The Russian side believes the Armenian move undermines cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), according to the release on the ministry's official website.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a day earlier that Armenia's choice between the EU and the EAEU is purely an economic matter. Were Armenia to abandon its EAEU membership, it would lose an array of preferential benefits, Xinhua news agency reported.

The presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint statement on Friday, urging Armenia to hold a referendum as soon as possible to decide whether to pursue EU membership or remain part of the EAEU. The statement stressed that Armenia's bid to join the EU poses substantial risks to the economic security of other EAEU members, and that the other member states must guard against the resultant economic losses.

The four leaders noted the need to prevent the associated damage to the bloc's members, adding that the representatives in the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council would present a report in December 2026 on the possible consequences of suspending the EAEU treaty for Armenia.

In early May, Armenia and the EU signed a connectivity partnership deal and pledged to strengthen economic and security cooperation at their first-ever summit held in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The partnership covers transport, energy and digital infrastructure and aligns with the EU's Cross-Regional Connectivity Agenda and Armenia's "Crossroads of Peace" initiative.

Established in 2015, the EAEU consists of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.

In April 2025, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a bill to kick off the country's EU accession process. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia cannot hold dual membership in both the EU and the EAEU.

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