Moscow (EFE).- Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that Armenia must clarify «as soon as possible» whether it intends to join the European Union, which Russia considers incompatible with Armenia’s continued membership in the post-Soviet blocs led by Moscow.
«The sooner Armenia clarifies the issue of EU accession, the better. Moscow needs to understand how to develop relations from now on,” Putin told Pashinyan during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Putin drew attention to the Armenian parliament’s approval of a law that paves the way for future negotiations on the former Soviet republic’s possible accession to the EU.
According to Putin, the accession «effectively» symbolizes Armenia’s exit from the Eurasian Economic Union, a bloc led by Moscow and comprising other post-Soviet economies.
The Russian leader confirmed that Armenia’s desire to join the EU is the country’s and its people’s “sovereign right,” yet he reiterated that it seems inconsistent with Yerevan’s continued membership in other blocs.
