Mirrorspectator. On September 1, a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin finally took place in Bishkek.
During his press conference later that day, the Russian president stated that if Armenia no longer needs the presence of the Russian military base on its territory, Russia can withdraw it. Interestingly, there has not been particularly extensive public discussion in Armenia regarding this issue. However, with this statement, Putin appeared to suggest that Armenian-Russian relations should be viewed as a comprehensive package. In other words, a decision by Armenia to leave the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) could also mean the withdrawal of the Russian military base and, more broadly, a freezing of Armenian-Russian relations, as happened in the case of Georgia years ago.
It is also evident that the Armenian authorities do not want to withdraw from the EAEU. During the meeting, the Armenian prime minister reminded the Russian president that, before leaving the organization, a member state must notify the other members of its intention six months in advance, and that there is no mechanism for expelling a country from the organization. In other words, Armenia is signaling that it intends to remain in the EAEU and that there is no mechanism through which it can be forced out.
At the same time, Armenia does not want to strain its relations with the EU or repeal the law on launching the process of EU membership, as doing so would put the Armenian authorities in a difficult domestic and foreign policy position. As a result, a tense situation is developing around Armenia. On the one hand, Russia is applying pressure and demanding that Armenia hold a referendum; on the other hand, the EU has its own priorities and is broadly aligned with the Armenian authorities on different issues.
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