Russia Demands Armenia Choose: Moscow or Brussels

Russia has called on Armenia to decide its future involvement in post-Soviet military and economic groupings, as tensions between the two countries continue to grow.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has pursued closer ties with the European Union, secured a fresh mandate in recent elections. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov subsequently declared that an EU accession bid was incompatible with membership of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which brings together Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

Lavrov also raised the question of Yerevan's continued participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Armenia suspended its involvement in the Russian-led military bloc last year after Azerbaijan regained control of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Moscow has noted that Armenia is not paying membership fees, is not participating in joint activities, and is deepening cooperation with NATO and EU member states. Ahead of the June elections, Russia also tightened pressure on Yerevan through trade restrictions linked to its European ambitions.

(reuters, bak)