EAEU membership incompatible with principles underlying cooperation  with EU - RF FM 

ArmInfo. Membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is incompatible with the principles that underpin cooperation with the European Union. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated this on February 5 in Moscow during a meeting with Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan.

According to him, Moscow has repeatedly stated that Armenia has its  own sovereign choice. "We are interested in Armenia being sovereign,  strong, self-sufficient, and able to choose its own foreign policy.   Discussions about what is more important and beneficial for  Armenia-continuing integration processes within the Eurasian Economic  Union or transitioning to European Union norms and standards-are  ongoing, and we are monitoring them. But you know our position: it is  not driven by any ideological motives; it is based on reality.  Membership in the EAEU is incompatible with the principles that  underlie participation in cooperation, and especially accession to  the European Union-that is your choice, and we will fully respect  it," Lavrov stated.

He added that he expects the results achieved over the past 10 years,  since Armenia became a full member of the EAEU, to be respected. "We  started in 2015 with a GDP of $10.5 billion, and today it's $26  billion- a 2.5-fold increase-that's just a fact, I won't even comment  on it," he added.

The Russian diplomat also noted that Moscow remains Yerevan's main  trade and economic partner. "We take this position seriously, and we  want to expand this cooperation in every possible way, promoting  major infrastructure projects and initiatives, taking into account  the experience already existing in Armenia's economic structures,"  the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.

Earlier, Moscow, at the level of Deputy Prime Minister Alexey  Overchuk, stated that it views Yerevan's decision to launch the  process of joining the European Union (EU) as the beginning of  Armenia's withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). In  December 2025, Overchuk noted that Armenia must at some point make a  final decision between the EAEU and the EU. On January 14, Armenian  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia desires to be a  full member of the European Union and will remain in the EAEU until  compatibility issues arise.