Russia-led economic bloc threatens to suspend Armenia over EU membership bid

New Delhi ( Vivek Ojha ) : Leaders of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on Friday warned Armenia that its growing push toward European integration could result in suspension from the bloc, intensifying tensions between Moscow and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of next week’s parliamentary elections.

During a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin joined the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in expressing concern over Armenia’s stated ambition to join the European Union.

The four countries said Armenia’s EU aspirations posed “significant risks” to the economic stability and security of the Eurasian Economic Union, a Moscow-dominated regional market established in 2015 to facilitate the free movement of goods, labour and capital among member states. The leaders directed officials to prepare a report by December assessing the “possible consequences” of suspending Armenia’s membership in the bloc.

Call for national referendum in Armenia:

They also urged Yerevan to hold a national referendum allowing Armenian voters to decide whether the country should continue in the EAEU or pursue EU membership. Pashinyan has previously opposed the idea of such a vote.

The warning comes less than two weeks before Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, where Pashinyan is seeking another term after first coming to power in 2018.

Relations between Armenia and Russia have deteriorated :

Relations between Armenia and Russia have deteriorated sharply in recent years as Yerevan moved closer to Western powers following its US-brokered peace agreement with Azerbaijan last year, which formally ended decades of conflict between the two South Caucasus neighbours.

Pashinyan has openly declared his intention to deepen ties with the European Union and has also frozen Armenia’s participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led military alliance.