Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters that the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is economically advantageous for Armenia and that there are no plans to leave the bloc.

“We want to continue. As for the CSTO, I have nothing new to add,” Simonyan concluded, according to Aysor.am.

Commenting on the Armenian government's decision to begin the process of joining the European Union, Simonyan underlined that it reflects the will of the Armenian people.

“We will discuss this will in the National Assembly of Armenia, vote on it, and make a decision,” he said.

Simonyan also stated that the Russian side should not be overly concerned about such a decision.

“I don’t think combining cooperation in any form should be an issue. If it is a problem for them, I believe there’s no such problem that Armenia and Russia cannot discuss and resolve together,” he added.

He stressed that “Armenia is a sovereign state and independently determines laws that serve its national interests.”

The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, and Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk have stated that Armenia’s simultaneous membership in the EAEU and EU is incompatible, as both unions require the absence of customs borders and free movement of goods, services, and labor.

On January 9, the Armenian government approved a proposal by the EuroVote civil initiative to begin the EU accession process. The proposal will be discussed in the Armenian parliament soon.

The European Union will analyze the Armenian government's approved draft law on starting the accession process and will discuss the matter with Armenian authorities, said Anita Hipper, the EU’s chief spokesperson for foreign affairs and security.