Peskov says Armenia should fund EU integration itself

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia should pursue closer relations with the European Union at its own expense rather than at the expense of Russia or the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“There is another important issue: while moving toward the European Union, which is Armenia’s absolute sovereign right, Armenia cannot and should not do so at the expense of the financial resources of EAEU countries. In other words, it should be carried out at its own expense,” Peskov told reporters, according to RIA Novosti.

He added that, sooner or later, Armenia’s rapprochement with the European Union could place the country in a situation where the regulations it adopts conflict with the rules and requirements of the Eurasian Economic Union.

During talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on April 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that simultaneous participation in the customs unions of the European Union and the EAEU was essentially impossible. On May 9, Putin proposed discussing Armenia’s plans regarding the European Union at the next EAEU summit.