Anna Grigoryan, head of the National Assembly’s Armenia faction, and faction secretary Artur Khachatryan met with Russia’s ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, according to the political bloc’s press service.
During the meeting, the lawmakers stressed the importance of stronger ties between the parliaments of the two countries. They also expressed concern about the current state of Armenia-Russia relations and what they described as a deteriorating trend.
The faction representatives said restrictions in bilateral foreign trade are ultimately being borne by ordinary citizens, farming households and businesses. The reference is to import curbs that, the source says, Russian authorities have been imposing since late May this year following violations detected during inspections.
According to the report, the restrictions first affected flowers, then fresh agricultural produce, fish and fish products, and later dairy goods. The source says Armenia had traditionally exported more than 80%-90% of those products to the Russian market.
The sides also discussed the arrest of opposition leaders.
The article links the broader tensions to Armenia’s foreign policy shift. It recalls that on January 9, 2025, the Armenian government approved a bill proposed by the Evrakve civic initiative to launch the process of joining the European Union and sent it to parliament. On March 26, lawmakers passed the bill in its final reading, and on April 4 that year it was signed by the president.
Moscow has told Yerevan, according to the source, that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union is impossible. On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Armenia should decide as soon as possible between the EU and the EAEU, adding that Russia was ready to begin a “civilized divorce” if necessary. Yerevan responded that Armenia would leave the EAEU when it deemed it appropriate.
The report also says that on May 29, the leaders of four of the EAEU’s five member states adopted a resolution recommending that Armenia hold a referendum on whether to remain in the bloc.
