Armenia Rebuffs Putin’s Call for EU Referendum

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has rejected Moscow’s demand for a referendum on joining the European Union, describing his country’s relationship with Russia as being in a “transformation phase.”

The rebuff came on Monday after the Kremlin stepped up pressure on Yerevan over its growing rapprochement with Brussels ahead of weekend parliamentary elections.

Russia’s agricultural watchdog announced a ban on fish imports from Armenia starting Monday, a move that followed President Vladimir Putin’s warning that the “Ukrainian scenario” began with Kyiv’s EU aspirations.

The European Union, in response, accused Moscow of attempting to “hurt Armenia’s economy and influence the outcome” of Armenia’s forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Armenia, a former Soviet republic, has maintained close ties with Russia for decades. However, frustration over Moscow’s failure to protect Yerevan in conflicts with neighbouring Azerbaijan has driven Armenian leaders to seek alternative allies in recent years.

In a video posted on social media, Pashinyan stated that relations with Russia are currently undergoing transformation, expressing hope for “new relations” that would prove successful given the openness and sincerity between both sides.

The Armenian leader argued there was no justification for holding an EU referendum unless Yerevan had formally applied for membership or come close to obtaining candidate status.

Putin had earlier called for a referendum to be held “as soon as possible,” cautioning that simultaneous membership in both the EU and the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union would be impossible.

The Kremlin and Yerevan confirmed that Putin and Pashinyan spoke by phone on Monday, with discussions covering the outcomes of a recent EEU summit in Kazakhstan where Putin issued his warnings. The Russian president also passed on birthday wishes to the Armenian prime minister.

Over the weekend, Moscow recalled its ambassador to Armenia for “consultations” over Yerevan’s deepening ties with the EU, a clear sign of the Kremlin’s growing frustration.

Despite formally remaining an ally of Moscow and a member of the EEU, relations have deteriorated since Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive, with Yerevan expressing anger over the inaction of Russian peacekeepers

Armenia hosted its first-ever EU summit last month, an event attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The gathering also featured Pashinyan playing the drums while French President Emmanuel Macron, widely considered one of Moscow’s most hostile European leaders, sang along.