Astana, May 29 (EFE).- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday defended the relevance of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which includes Russia and four other former Soviet republics, despite tensions with one of its members, Armenia, over its growing ties with the European Union.
“The assessments made by our colleagues, both positive and critical, clearly demonstrate that the EAEU is functioning and, overall, functioning well and continuing to develop,” Putin said during a summit in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
Putin noted that the meeting adopted new measures aimed at “harmonizing customs regulations among member countries,” which would help to create efficient supply chains, reduce imports, and introduce new technologies.
“He emphasized that, for Russia, deepening ties with all EAEU member states is undoubtedly a priority. We intend to continue contributing in every possible way to the development of integration processes throughout the Eurasian space,” he said.
He insisted that “Eurasian integration brings real benefits to every member of our union, increases business revenues, and improves the quality of life and well-being of their people.”
Tensions between Russia and Armenia
The summit has been overshadowed by tensions between Russia and Armenia, against which Moscow has imposed sanctions in recent weeks due to Yerevan’s plans to pursue future integration with the European Union, while also threatening to suspend oil and gas supplies.
Russia, which argues that the current conflict in Ukraine began precisely because of Kyiv’s plans to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union in 2013, proposed discussing the crisis with Armenia during the summit. Moscow acknowledged that the EAEU’s statutes do not provide for the expulsion of member states.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not attend the meeting due to the proximity of the June 7 parliamentary elections, although the Caucasus country was represented in the Kazakh capital.
Armenia’s commitment to EAEU
“We have repeatedly confirmed Armenia’s commitment to mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of the EAEU in the interest of ensuring economic stability and sustainable development for our countries and the region as a whole,” Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan told the gathering.
He stressed that Armenia “intends to continue participating in good faith in the Union’s work based on mutual respect, equal partnership, and consideration of the national interests of all EAEU member states.”
Armenia has refused to leave the union and, for the time being, to hold the referendum proposed by Putin that would require choosing between the EAEU and the European Union, a process the Russian leader previously described as a “civilized divorce” between the two sides. EFE
