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President of Russia Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek.

Taking part in the meeting on the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-chair of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia Alexei Overchuk, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office and Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, Head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) Sergei Dankvert, General Director of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov, and Director General of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Pashinyan, friends, I am delighted to see you all.

Let me begin with what I consider the most important point: we have consistently advocated, and continue to advocate, the development of friendly, mutually beneficial relations with Armenia, founded upon the principles of strategic partnership and alliance. We proceed from the belief that this serves the fundamental interests of the Armenian people and the fundamental interests of Russia, and – I will not repeat what you and I have noted on numerous occasions – that it is also consonant with the historical roots that bind our two peoples together.

Russia is the republic’s principal trade and economic partner, accounting for roughly 30 percent of its trade, and an investor in Armenia’s economy. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade reached $2.5 billion.

Mutually advantageous projects are being implemented in industry, agriculture, mining, peaceful nuclear energy, transport, and the digital economy. Russian companies are the largest taxpayers to Armenia’s budget, create jobs, transfer modern technology, and strengthen the country’s energy security.

I would also note that you and I have, on several occasions, discussed matters relating to Armenia’s stated intention to join the European Union. We have returned to this subject repeatedly, both by telephone and in person.

You are well aware of Russia’s position: Armenia’s aspiration to join the EU is the natural and legitimate right of the country and its people. Armenia is a sovereign state, and it is for the Armenian people to determine the trajectory of their own development. Nevertheless, this unquestionably creates complications for Armenia’s continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, and threatens to erode the advantages the republic enjoys on the EAEU market and to sever established trade links.

At the same time, in over ten years of participating in Eurasian integration processes, Armenia’s GDP has grown by almost 200 percent, from $10.6 billion in 2015 to $29.2 billion at the end of 2025 (at least according to our data). Exports to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union have increased ten-fold: the EEU market currently accounts for around 36 percent of Armenia’s foreign trade.

Therefore, of course, the choice of the country’s future political and economic course is up to the people of Armenia. Yet, as we said before, it is important to approach the relevant steps in a purely objective manner, based on the realities.

And, I will repeat, we will respect any choice that Armenian people make. The final decision rests with Armenia. But we must adjust our own trade and economic policy in the context of these potential decisions. Our request would be that you reach a decision as soon as possible.

I remember your public statements when you said that it is necessary to hold a referendum on the matter. I supported that position at the most recent EAEU summit. I said directly that Prime Minister Pashinyan had made a public statement, and I asked my colleagues to show their support. The sooner we clarify this matter, the better because we also need a clear picture of our future relations with Armenia, especially in the economic context.

Certain matters – for instance, agricultural product regulation or technical standards – are completely different in the EAEU and the EU. We have been through attempts – back when our relations were more or less civil – to reach an agreement or a compromise with the Europeans, but those attempts were futile. They are rather harsh and stubborn negotiators. We have not found a single solution.

Perhaps one day we will have to do that – align the fundamental interests of our economy with the European ones and find some complementary solutions. I hope these crises eventually subside. But even when they do… We used to have a good relationship with Europe and yet, it was hard to reach an agreement. There will definitely be problems associated with imports of European goods and services to our market via Armenia. There is a thousand problems. We would like to clarify how it will work.

I hope that we will be able to discuss all these matters in a peaceful, friendly and business-like manner.

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan: Thank you very much, Mr President.

I am very glad that we have this opportunity to meet, because there are indeed many issues that have accumulated and need to be discussed.

First of all, I would like to reaffirm our interest in further developing and deepening relations with the Russian Federation.

It is also important to note that the overall situation in our region around Armenia has changed in recent years, and we believe these changes call for a fresh perspective. Relations between Russia and Armenia had a different meaning during a conflict situation. Now that peace has been established in the region, we believe it is necessary to take a fresh look at the situation. I believe that this will contribute to the further development of our relations, by which we mean strengthening and deepening our cooperation. This is very important.

You mentioned Russian companies operating in Armenia. I should note that we discussed this issue today as well. Many Russian companies are operating very successfully in the Republic of Armenia. You are right: they are highly profitable and pay taxes. However, these companies should also be divided into two groups: those that are operating successfully, generating profits and growing, and those that, unfortunately, are neither profitable nor growing. I believe this is a problem for both Armenia and the Russian Federation. This is another issue that we need to examine and discuss, including all the nuances involved.

As for the European Union, you know that this issue is being widely discussed, both at the working level and publicly. You know that last year, we adopted a law launching the process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union. There has been considerable discussion about whether the adoption of this law is compatible with our obligations within the Eurasian Economic Union.

We reviewed the existing agreements between Armenia and the Russian Federation, as well as the legal framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, both before and after the law was adopted. Frankly, we found no violation of Armenia’s obligations to either the Russian Federation or the Eurasian Economic Union. The Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union clearly sets out the procedure to be followed if a country decides to withdraw from the Union.

Actually, the Treaty contains no provision allowing a member state to be suspended from the organisation. What it does stipulate is that if a country decides to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Union, it must notify its partners six months in advance. I believe this is the perspective from which we should approach the situation. So far, we have not informed our partners that we intend to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Union.

I think we need to build on this fact, because a referendum on this issue was widely discussed. Frankly, the adoption of the law already meant abandoning the idea of a referendum. Because if parliament had not passed this law at that time… I would like to remind you that this law was initiated by civil society. They collected signatures from our citizens, which is permitted under the Constitution, and submitted the draft law to parliament. If parliament had not passed it, the initiators could have collected another 250,000 signatures, and if parliament had rejected the initiative again, we would have been obliged to hold a referendum in the Republic of Armenia.

So, by adopting this law, we effectively abandoned the idea of a referendum. And why did we abandon it? Because this issue –as I have just had the opportunity to explain to you – was not yet acute enough for us to put it before our people.

Why did we adopt this law in the first place? First, to avoid holding a referendum, and second, as I have stated publicly on numerous occasions, it is crucial for us that our country and our people have alternatives. I believe this is a legitimate goal.

This does not mean that we are dissatisfied with the Eurasian Economic Union. The EAEU has many issues and operational questions, both strategic and tactical, and we discuss them constantly. We simply believe that it is a legitimate goal for any country, especially in the current international situation, – and, incidentally, we discussed this today, as the theme of the SCO summit was the multipolar world order – to have alternatives available to the state and the country.

This process is not directed against Russia or the Eurasian Economic Union. We highly value our relations with the Russian Federation. Indeed, as you have already mentioned, they are extremely important to us and to our country. We hope that these relations are equally important to the Russian Federation. I believe that we – both the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, and we personally – must treat these relations with great care.

I want to reaffirm that both our Government and I personally do care about this. And I am sure that you also care about these relations very much, and I would like to thank you for that.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Pashinyan,

We will discuss this now. I always find it interesting to discuss any topic with you, including this one. But I still have to disagree with you on the main issue.

You said that you did not announce your withdrawal. But adopting a law to initiate the process of joining another economic organisation effectively means declaring your withdrawal from ours, because membership in the two organisations is incompatible. That is the problem.

However, let us discuss all this calmly now.

Nikol Pashinyan: Yes. I simply believe – and I say so publicly – that we understand that the time will come when a very specific choice will have to be made.

Our position is that the time is not yet ripe for that; we do not need to make that choice right now. Because essentially, we have no alternative at present; that alternative has not been created in reality. When it is created – if it is created – then, of course, we will make a choice, with or without a referendum. Those are also possible options.

I would be happy to continue this conversation with you and answer all your questions.

Vladimir Putin: I agree that people should always have a choice. Well, make that choice, and we’ll close the topic. That is all. The simplest thing is to turn to the people and ask: What do you want? This way or that way? That’s it.

Let us get down to the discussion now.

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