Putin: Armenia's EU aspirations complicate its future in EAEU

Armenia's desire to join the European Union is the legitimate right of the country and its people, but such a course creates difficulties for its future participation in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Report informs.

"Armenia's aspiration to join the EU is the natural and legitimate right of the country and its people. Armenia is a sovereign state. It is the right of the Armenian people to determine their own path of development. But this creates difficulties for remaining in the EAEU," Putin said.

During the meeting, Putin also disagreed with Pashinyan's position that Armenia had not made any statement about withdrawing from the EAEU.

According to the Russian president, Armenia's adoption of a law launching the procedure for joining another economic organization effectively amounts to a declaration of withdrawal from the EAEU, since simultaneous membership in both organizations is impossible.

"The adoption of a law launching the procedure for joining another economic organization effectively amounts to a declaration of withdrawal from our organization. Because it is impossible to be both there and here at the same time. That is the problem," Putin stressed.