Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin stated that Armenia must decide by December this year whether to hold a nationwide referendum on joining the European Union or remaining in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), TASS reports.
“It is clear that if no call to hold a referendum is made by that time, the leaders will take this fact into account when determining the appropriate further joint steps,” he said.
The Russian deputy foreign minister recalled that “the May 29 joint statement by the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan concerning Armenia’s European aspirations refers to the need to hold a nationwide referendum in that country as soon as possible on joining the EU or continuing its membership in the EAEU, but without specifying a particular date.”
“At the same time, it has already been noted that this issue will be discussed again during the December meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, when the heads of state are to receive a report on the possible consequences of suspending the application to Armenia of the May 29, 2014, Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union,” Galuzin said.
At the August 7 meeting of the EAEU Intergovernmental Council in Kyrgyzstan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that a referendum on Armenia choosing between the EAEU and the EU would be meaningless and devoid of substance because citizens would be presented with a question that, in essence, does not exist.
At the EAEU summit held in Astana on May 29, 2026, the leaders of the union’s member states issued a joint statement that, among other things, stressed the need for Armenia to hold a referendum as soon as possible on joining the EU or remaining in the EAEU. Following the Astana EAEU summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Armenia could lose 14% of its GDP if it left the EAEU.
