Armenia’s Pashinyan Tells Russia’s Mishustin He Wants to Fix Bilateral Problems

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin that the two countries have faced “some problems” recently and he hopes they can discuss and resolve them to repair ties, speaking at a joint press conference after meeting in Yekaterinburg on July 6. Pashinyan, who won re-election after his Civil Contract party defeated several pro-Russian opposition parties in Armenia’s June parliamentary election, was making his first visit to Russia since securing another term. The report said Moscow imposed a series of trade restrictions ahead of the vote, temporarily banning imports of multiple Armenian goods including fresh agricultural products, flowers, fish and alcoholic beverages, and has warned it could suspend Armenia’s membership in the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union if Armenia continues seeking to join the European Union. Pashinyan said Armenia remains committed to developing relations with Russia and wants to continue participating in Eurasian Economic Union affairs; Armenia is heavily dependent on Russian energy, with Russian energy imports accounting for 35% of Armenia’s total foreign trade last year. Lianhe Zaobao also cited Armenpress as reporting that the European Union has provided Armenia with EUR 52 million (about SGD 76.81 million) in economic aid since the election and eased some rules for Armenian goods exports to the EU market.