The expert suggested the economic consequences for Armenia after the rapprochement with the EU

Armenia's policy of rapprochement with the European Union (EU) may lead to serious economic consequences for the country. On June 7, international expert Grigor Balasanyan shared this opinion with Izvestia.

"People are mostly not ready to join the European Union, because everyone has relatives in Russia, and everyone receives money transfers from Russia, which amount to almost as much as the Armenian budget," he said.

According to him, the republic's economy is closely linked to Russia and the EAEU countries, and the transition to the European vector may result in an increase in energy costs. If Armenia decides to change its course to the western one, the country will lose the opportunity to purchase inexpensive Russian resources, and will also be forced to buy gas at European prices.

Armenia's membership in the European Union can be a serious choice and decision for the state, and countries that change course towards the European Union lose all benefits in the Russian space, he concluded.

Desperation and struggle: what are Pashinyan's chances of forcing Armenia's path to the EU

While the republic remains a strategic partner of the Russian Federation, will the nature of relations between Moscow and Yerevan change after the elections

Russian leader Vladimir Putin said in April that the aggravation of internal political processes on the eve of the elections in Armenia should not harm relations between Moscow and Yerevan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, for his part, stressed that the construction and strengthening of relations between the two countries will continue regardless of the outcome of the vote in the republic.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said on June 3 that the Armenian authorities realize that it will be extremely difficult for the republic without the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Russia. According to the Secretary of the Security Council, Yerevan refuses to hold a referendum on membership in the EAEU due to concerns about European sponsors.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on the same day that Russia was counting on Armenia's "historically correct choice" in the situation with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. The diplomat expressed the hope that this choice would be in favor of deep and fraternal relations with Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in the Izvestia studio at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 5 that the Armenian leadership was artificially trying to put the country at a crossroads by offering a choice between integration with Europe and remaining a member of the EAEU.