Russian-led economic union to look at suspending Armenia over EU ambitions

MOSCOW, May 29 - The Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will consider suspending Armenia later this year out of concerns its pursuit of European Union membership jeopardises the union's economic security, according to a joint statement published on Friday.

The leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan said that Armenia's westward integration posed "significant risks to the economic security" to the EAEU, and that its continued membership would be reviewed at the group's next meeting in December.

The statement also called on Yerevan to hold a popular referendum on its EU membership aspirations, and to include an option of staying in the Moscow-led group, founded in 2015.

Russia, with the EAEU's largest economy by far, has been dialing up the pressure on Armenia in recent weeks, slapping temporary restrictions on agricultural imports and threatening to halt supplies of cheap Russian oil products and gas to the South Caucasus country, upon which it heavily relies.

Armenia holds a parliamentary election on June 7 pitting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has brought the country closer to the West, against an array of mostly pro-Russian opposition parties. Recent polls show Pashinyan's Civil Contract party in the lead with around 30% support.

Moscow has repeatedly said that Yerevan's membership in the EAEU is incompatible with its aspirations towards Brussels. Armenia passed a law last year officially launching its EU accession process.

The joint statement was adopted following a meeting earlier on Friday of EAEU country leaders in Astana.

Pashinyan did not attend the summit, citing his ongoing election campaign, with Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan representing Armenia. REUTERS