It Is Impossible to Integrate Simultaneously into Both the EAEU and the EU, Kaluzin Says of Yerevan

MOSCOW — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment in December, during visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg, to continue participating in Eurasian integration in the future, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with Izvestia, expressing hope that this commitment will be upheld.

The senior Russian diplomat reiterated that it is impossible to integrate simultaneously into both the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union (EU).

“Cooperation is one thing; integration is something entirely different,” Galuzin said. “What we are seeing in the new strategic agenda of Armenia–EU partnership, in our understanding, is integration—namely, the harmonization of Armenia’s legal framework with relevant EU standards in the areas of politics, security, the economy, energy, and other fields. We openly and frankly tell our Armenian partners that such harmonization of the legal framework with the EU inevitably contradicts EAEU rules, of which Armenia is also a member.”

According to the deputy foreign minister, these issues are regularly discussed within the intergovernmental commission, whose most recent meeting took place on December 17 in Yerevan.

“Armenia has been a member of the EAEU since 2015, and over these 10 years we are confident that Armenian society and the country’s leadership have experienced all the significant advantages of this membership,” Galuzin said, citing figures. “In 2015, when Armenia joined the EAEU, the country’s GDP amounted to about $10.5 billion. Today, it has more than doubled, reaching $26 billion. During the first 10 months of this year, Armenia exported $6.4 billion worth of goods, of which $2.6 billion went to EAEU countries and only about $500 million to the European Union.

“This is the current situation. We hope to continue cooperation with Armenia within the framework of the EAEU, especially since the Armenian side confirms this at a high level,” he added.

Asked whether Yerevan and Moscow are discussing Armenia’s return to full membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Galuzin said Moscow would welcome such a development. “We are in dialogue with our Armenian partners; let us wait for the outcome of this dialogue,” he said, without providing further details.

For the past two years, Armenia has largely refrained from participating in CSTO events. Relations between Armenia and the organization have deteriorated, particularly after Azerbaijan’s attack in September 2022. Despite Yerevan’s demands, the CSTO did not condemn the attack against a member state nor acknowledge that Azerbaijan had occupied Armenian territory.

In November, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan stated that withdrawing from the organization is not currently on Yerevan’s agenda.