Armenia's PM Rejects Early EU-EAEU Referendum as Premature
In a video address circulated on social media and cited by an Armenian state news agency, Pashinyan signaled that Yerevan would continue operating within the EAEU framework until a definitive choice between the bloc and the EU becomes unavoidable.
"Naturally, that decision must be made by the people of the Republic of Armenia through a referendum," he said, arguing there are currently no grounds for holding such a vote since European integration is not yet at a stage where a clear choice can be presented.
Pashinyan set a clear threshold for when such a referendum would be warranted — only once Armenia has formally applied for EU membership or is within reach of candidate status would the question merit a public vote.
"Today, that choice is theoretical, and putting a theoretical choice to a referendum is, of course, neither very sensible nor justified," the prime minister added.
"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."
Bloc Members Turn Up the Pressure
Pashinyan's remarks arrive in direct response to a joint statement issued Sunday by EAEU member-state leaders, who collectively called for Armenia to hold a referendum on its geopolitical alignment without delay.
"We share the position on the need to hold, in the Republic of Armenia, a nationwide referendum as soon as possible on accession to the European Union or continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union," the statement read.
The EAEU, founded in 2015 at Kazakhstan's initiative to sustain economic integration across the Eurasian region, counts Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia among its members.
A Bloc Fracturing Over Yerevan's Western Pivot
Armenia's deepening westward drift has emerged as an escalating fault line within the Moscow-led union. Tensions sharpened considerably after Yerevan accelerated its engagement with Brussels and passed legislation early last year charting a formal path toward eventual EU accession.
Russian officials have issued repeated warnings that simultaneous membership in the EU and EAEU is legally and structurally incompatible. Armenian authorities, however, have insisted they can sustain cooperation within the EAEU while broadening their European partnerships — a balancing act that regional allies appear increasingly unwilling to accept.
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