The Federation Council responded to Pashinyan's words about the referendum on Armenia's withdrawal from the EAEU

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan must first hold a referendum and find out the opinion of the people, and then decide on applying to the European Union (EU) on accession issues. Vladimir Dzhabarov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, said this on Monday, June 1.

Earlier in the day, Pashinyan said that holding a referendum on the choice between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union is illogical at the moment, Armenia will continue to work in the EAEU. 360.ru .

"I think the order of the steps is a bit mixed up. Most likely, we must first find out the opinion of the people, and then take steps. I think these conversations will drag on until the elections," Jabarov said in a conversation with Lenta.Ru .

The senator believes that if Pashinyan decides to bring Armenia into the EU, the union countries will decide to suspend Armenia's participation in the EAEU, which will be a big mistake for Yerevan.

"[Armenia] is an independent state, let it make a decision that it considers convenient and profitable," Jabarov added.

EAEU or not: Armenia's rapprochement with the EU will reduce its exports by a third

What will the republic lose if ties with the Eurasian Economic Union weaken, and who will eventually pay for the break?

On December 31, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan retaliated that it was premature for Yerevan to think about choosing between the EAEU and the EU, until "the issue came to an end," RT reports. He said that in this case, Armenia will be ready to "conduct stress tests."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 29 that if Armenia were to adopt EU economic standards, integration processes with the republic would have to be curtailed. He warned that upon leaving the EAEU, Armenia would lose access to free trade agreements, and its citizens would need to acquire patents to work in the Russian Federation.

In turn, Alexander Iskandaryan, an Armenian political scientist and director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan, told NSN that Armenia should have no choice between joining the EU and membership in the EAEU, since only Yerevan's application for EU candidacy is not even a prospect for the current decade.