Representatives of the Armenia faction discussed the current state of Armenian-Russian relations with the Russian ambassador

ArmInfo. Anna Grigoryan, head of the parliamentary Armenia faction, and faction secretary Artur Khachatryan held a meeting with Russia’s ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin.

As reported by the political force’s press service, during the discussion, faction members

attached great importance to strengthening ties between the parliaments of the two countries, and also expressed concern over the current level of Armenian-Russian relations and the trends of their deterioration. In particular, the lawmakers emphasized that the consequences of restrictions on foreign trade between the two countries are borne by ordinary citizens, farms, as well as business representatives.

During the meeting, the sides also touched upon the issue of the arrest of opposition leaders.

It should be recalled that since the end of May this year, the authorized bodies of Russia have been imposing restrictions on the import of products from Armenia as a result of violations identified during inspections. First, the restrictions affected flowers, then fresh agricultural products, fish and fish products, and later dairy products as well.  Traditionally, Armenia exported more than 80%-90% of these products to the Russian market.

It should be noted that all this began after a change in the course of the Armenian authorities. On January 9, 2025, the Armenian government approved a draft law on launching the process of joining the European Union, proposed by the civic initiative "Evraqve".  The draft was submitted to the Armenian parliament for approval. On March 26, the country’s parliament adopted it at its final reading and sent it to the president for signing.  The document was signed on April 4 of the same year. Moscow stated that Russia had made it clear to Armenia that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union was impossible. On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking with journalists, suggested that Armenia decide as soon as possible on its membership in the EU and EAEU, indicating readiness to “begin a civilized divorce” if necessary. Yerevan responded by noting that it would leave the EAEU when it deemed it necessary. And already on May 29, the heads of 4 of the 5 EAEU countries adopted a resolution recommending that Armenia hold a referendum on the issue of the country’s continued membership in the EAEU.