MOSCOW, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia has summoned its ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, for consultations over the Armenian leadership's pivot toward the European Union (EU), the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
The Russian side believes the Armenian move undermines cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), according to the release on the ministry's official website.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said a day earlier that Armenia's choice between the EU and the EAEU is purely an economic matter. Were Armenia to abandon its EAEU membership, it would lose an array of preferential benefits.
The presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint statement on Friday, urging Armenia to hold a referendum as soon as possible to decide whether to pursue EU membership or remain part of the EAEU. The statement stressed that Armenia's bid to join the EU poses substantial risks to the economic security of other EAEU members, and that the other member states must guard against the resultant economic losses.
Established in 2015, the EAEU consists of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.
In April 2025, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a bill to kick off the country's EU accession process. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia cannot hold dual membership in both the EU and the EAEU. ■