We are not going to formulate a political “divorce” with any of our partners, including Russia, but everyone should respect the right of a sovereign state to make independent decisions. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated during a joint press conference with his visiting Lithuanian colleague on Tuesday, responding to a question about the warnings and integration risks voiced by Moscow after the Armenia-EU summit held recently in Yerevan.

The Armenian FM lauded the results of the first-of-its-kind Armenia-EU summit held in early May, calling it exceptionally productive. He recalled that as a result of the summit, a comprehensive joint document consisting of 35 points was adopted, which clearly stipulates the directions for deepening the partnership and specific integration programs. Mirzoyan emphasized that Brussels will continue to actively support the democratic reforms being implemented in Armenia, and the main driving force of this rapprochement is the European aspirations of the Armenian people, which have already taken the form of a law initiative approved by the National Assembly.

Commenting on the statements of the Russian leadership—in particular, President Vladimir Putin’s calls to “decide” on the integration vector and insinuations at a “civilized divorce,” the Armenian FM urged not to dramatize the situation and avoid artificial tension. He noted that Armenia is linked to Russia by many strong “threads,” and Yerevan aims at developing these mutually beneficial relations in an atmosphere of healthy discussions. Nevertheless, Mirzoyan emphasized Armenia’s tough and principled position on making sovereign choices.

“We [i.e. Armenia] understand perfectly well, and it is not Russia that should tell us that membership in the EAEU and the European Union are incompatible. It is not possible to remain in the Eurasian Economic Union and become a member of the EU at the same time. And we will continue to move towards the European Union,” he said.

The Armenian FM added that when the time comes and matures to make a final choice in favor of this or that “family of states,” Armenia will make that decision independently, without outside prompting and pressure, and guided exclusively by national interests.

Source: https://news.am/en/news/1036542