Lavrov called for showing Armenians an "honest choice" between the EU and the EAEU
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov doubted that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan fully trusts his voters. The reason for this was the Armenian prime minister's remarks about a possible referendum on the country's accession to the European Union.
In an interview with RBC, Lavrov recalled that Pashinyan proposed discussing a referendum only after Armenia submits an application for EU membership, receives a response, and prepares a "roadmap" for the further process.
According to the Russian minister, before making such a decision, Armenian society should be given the opportunity to make an informed choice.
"We need to show an honest choice: what are you choosing between, how are you currently living," Lavrov stated.
The Russian Foreign Minister also drew attention to Armenia's economic ties with the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. According to him, trade turnover has reached more than six billion dollars over the past three years, and in one year, it reached $12 billion.
"Basically, Armenia has developed thanks to the EAEU," Lavrov said.
Lavrov also commented on Nikol Pashinyan's proposal to sell Armenia a concession to manage the South Caucasus Railway. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, this initiative came as a surprise to Moscow. He noted that issues related to the operation of the South Caucasus Railway could be discussed during regular contacts between the deputy prime ministers of the two countries, but Yerevan chose to publicly state its position.
At the end of July, Pashinyan suggested that the dispute over the South Caucasus Railway could reach international arbitration if the parties failed to reach an agreement. The prime minister then stated that the South Caucasus Railway is the property of Armenia and the state has the right to manage it as it sees fit.
The Russian minister's remarks come amid a continuing cooling of relations between Moscow and Yerevan. A day earlier, Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia has grounds to no longer consider Russia a strategic partner. The prime minister linked this position to the events of September 2022, when, according to him, Russia and the CSTO failed to fulfill their security obligations.
