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Pashinyan sees no need for EU–EAEU referendum for now

01 June 2026 12:36 (UTC +04:00)

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to fellow EAEU leaders, saying there is no need at this point to hold a referendum on whether to exit the Eurasian bloc and pursue EU integration, Armenpress reports.

Armenia, a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), was notified by its union partners—Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—that they would like to see a referendum in Armenia choosing between staying in the EAEU or withdrawing and moving toward the European Union. The developments come amid growing ties between Armenia and the EU, which Armenia says do not contradict its EAEU membership for now.

The statement addressed to Armenia was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

In response to that statement, Pashinyan noted that Armenia will continue to work within the Eurasian Economic Union framework until the point when choosing between the European Union and the EAEU becomes unavoidable.

“We are working within the Eurasian Economic Union and will continue to do so until the point when making a choice between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union becomes unavoidable, and, naturally, that decision must be made by the people of the Republic of Armenia through a referendum,” he said in a video posted on social media.

The Prime Minister noted that there are currently no grounds for holding such a referendum, as Armenia’s European integration process is not yet at a stage where citizens can be presented with a clear choice.

“Until the point when Armenia has either officially applied for EU membership or is very close to obtaining candidate status, holding any referendum would be unreasonable,” Pashinyan said.

According to him, such a choice remains theoretical at this stage.

“Today, that choice is theoretical, and putting a theoretical choice to a referendum is, of course, neither very sensible nor justified,” the Prime Minister said.

“Therefore, we will continue to work calmly and steadily, without disputes, within the Eurasian Economic Union, and I am convinced that we still have potential in this direction, which we will use in the near future,” he stated.

Ilgar Khudiyev

Nikol Pashinyan Armenia Eurasian Economic Union EAEU European Union EU integration referendum Vladimir Putin Alexander Lukashenko Sadyr Japarov Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Russia Belarus Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Armenia-EU relations regional integration Eurasian bloc candidate status foreign policy South Caucasus economic cooperation social media statement Armenian politics