The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Sergei Kopyrkin, has been summoned to Moscow for consultations, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.
„The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia S.P. Kopyrkin was summoned to Moscow for consultations regarding the Armenian leadership's steps towards rapprochement with the European Union, which are detrimental to cooperation within the EAEU," the statement said.
Yesterday, following the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit in Astana, member states Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan called on Armenia, a member state, to hold a referendum on the choice between the EU and the EAEU as soon as possible.
A joint statement by the EAEU member states said that a report on the possible consequences of the suspension of the EAEU Treaty for Armenia would be presented at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in December. The decision to prepare such a document was made due to the serious risks to the economic security of the union countries associated with Armenia's intention to join the EU.
At a press conference after the Astana summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if Yerevan leaves the EAEU, it will lose access to the union's free trade zone, face higher railway tariffs and stricter requirements for transport companies. Rising energy prices could cost Armenia at least 14% of its GDP, Putin added.
At the same time, according to the Russian president, whatever decisions Armenia makes regarding its continued membership in the EAEU, this will not harm humanitarian and political ties with Russia. “In this case, we are talking about purely economic issues.“