YEREVAN: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday rebuffed Moscow´s call for his country to hold a referendum on joining the EU, saying ties with Russia were in a “transformation phase”.
The Kremlin has upped pressure on Armenia over its rapprochement with Brussels ahead of weekend elections, banning fish imports from Monday. The move came after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the “Ukrainian scenario” began with Kyiv´s EU ambitions.
The EU, meanwhile, accused Russia of trying to “hurt Armenia´s economy and influence the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Armenia”. An ex-Soviet republic, Armenia has been closely allied with Russia for decades. But, frustrated that Moscow did not protect it in conflicts with neighbouring Azerbaijan, Yerevan has in recent years looked for other allies.
This has triggered anger in the Kremlin. “Our relations with Russia are in a transformation phase,” Pashinyan said in a video on social media, adding that he hoped for “new relations” with Russia that he believed will be “successful because our ties with Russia are open and sincere”.
Pashinyan said there was no reason for Armenia to hold an EU referendum unless Yerevan “officially applied” for membership or “has come close” to getting candidate status. Putin last week criticised Armenia´s moves to become closer to the Western bloc, calling for a referendum as “soon as possible” and saying membership in both the EU and the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) would be impossible.
