Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan says tariff-free trade with the European Union does not conflict with the country's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Speaking to Armenia's Public Television, Kostanyan said there was no contradiction between the two.

“There is absolutely no contradiction. Armenia benefited from the GSP+ scheme even after becoming an EAEU member, and the European Union was already allowing duty-free exports under that framework,” Kostanyan said, according to Sputnik Armenia.

He added that the export regime promised by Brussels is almost identical to the GSP+ system.

During a visit to Yerevan on July 2, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union plans to allocate an additional €18 million to Armenia. The funding could help establish an export promotion agency and liberalize roughly 80% of Armenian exports to the EU.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said Armenia would be pleased to join the European Union if invited, while stressing that the country remains a full member of the EAEU and that any decision between the two blocs should be made by the Armenian people rather than the government.

On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it would be in the interests of both Armenian citizens and Moscow, Armenia's main economic partner, for Yerevan to clarify its position on EU membership as soon as possible.

On May 28, the leaders of the EAEU member states adopted a statement on Armenia, expressing the view that the country should hold a nationwide referendum as soon as possible on whether to seek EU membership or remain in the EAEU.