Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has claimed that Armenia’s possible exit from the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) would plunge the country into a “deep economic crisis” and destabilize its government:
The statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s phone conversation with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, during which he again called for a referendum on whether Armenia should leave the Russian-led bloc and continue seeking EU membership:
Putin declared that Yerevan can no longer combine its European integration policy with its membership in the EEU, which provides Armenian exporters with tariff-free access to Russia, their main market:
This was followed by Russian bans on multimillion-dollar imports of Armenian agricultural products and beverages, to which the EU responded by providing 52 million euros ($60 million) in urgent financial aid:
According to the SVR, Brussels recognizes the inevitability of a deep economic crisis in Armenia if Yerevan finds itself outside the Eurasian Economic Union:
Russia is Armenia’s number one trading partner, accounting for 28 percent of Armenian foreign trade in the first five months of this year:
