ArmInfo. Armenia continues to be very interested in membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). This opinion was expressed to the magazine "International Life" by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Andrei Pankin, touching upon the relations between Armenia and the EAEU.
The Russian diplomat recalled that Yerevan has its own obligations within the Union, which it fulfills.
"By fulfilling all obligations and respecting its interests, Armenia receives a very large benefit, which is demonstrated not only by high production rates, but also by foreign trade turnover, and by leaps and bounds in the transfer of labor migrants to Yerevan. Indeed, there is a step-by-step growth, not even by percentages, but by several times. But, on the other hand, we, of course, see that Yerevan is being lured into the orbit of the European Union, and we do not know what conditions are being set for associate membership or other forms of interaction with the European Union," Pankin added. When asked to clarify whether this is being kept secret, the diplomat noted that this is due to the fact that Russia does not interfere in Yerevan's internal affairs - how it interacts with its partners in the EU.
"But, unfortunately, we know that EU partners usually have the ability to impose their conditions and detach from other associations or groups those countries that they want to take into their orbit of this associated membership," Pankin emphasized. Speaking in general about interaction within the EAEU, Pankin pointed out the obvious benefits of membership in this integration association. "For example, GDP has grown by one and a half times since 2015. Industrial production - by 22%. Agriculture - by a quarter. Yes, you will say: divide by eight years! But still, this is sustainable, progressive growth, and it also fell on the years associated with the pandemic and after it. Remember, the economies in different regions "sagged" significantly. Wages increased, for example, in Armenia by 13%, in Russia - by a little over four percent. Poverty is falling. Unemployment has decreased from 5 to 3.3%. This is a very serious figure against the background of the turbulence that is generally happening in global financial, economic, currency processes," Pankin concluded.
