Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has rejected a demand from Moscow to hold an immediate referendum on leaving the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to join the European Union. The refusal came after Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly called to wish him a happy birthday but instead made what Pashinyan termed an 'unreasonable' demand.

Tensions escalated at the EAEU summit in Kazakhstan on May 29, where Putin and fellow bloc members Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint statement urging Armenia to hold a referendum 'as soon as possible'. The Russian leader insists that membership in both the EU and EAEU is impossible.

In a video address, Pashinyan stated that the government would continue working within the EAEU until a choice between the two blocs 'becomes unavoidable', calling a referendum before a formal EU application 'neither very sensible nor justified'. He described ties with Russia as being in a 'transformation phase'.

Moscow has been ramping up pressure on Armenia ahead of parliamentary elections on June 7. Russia recalled its ambassador for consultations and suspended fish and seafood imports from Armenia, citing health violations. The embargo hits a sector that sends 30% of its exports to Russia, following previous trade bans on agricultural produce, flowers, mineral water and alcohol.

The European Union accused Moscow on Monday of attempting to cripple Armenia's economy to influence the election outcome. Armenia, a longtime Russian ally, has been diversifying its partnerships since Russia failed to intervene during Azerbaijan's 2023 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, and after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Source: www.aljazeera.com