Armenia could close its sky for Russia in case of Eurointegration -  RF vice-premier 

ArmInfo.  Russia fears that Armenia's deepening European integration could lead to the closure of its airspace for Russian aircraft, as the European Union did earlier. This was stated by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, speaking at a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Look, we currently have no air traffic with the European Union. The European Union has closed its skies to Russian aircraft. Will Armenia also close its skies? If you join the European Union, then yes, because Brussels will tell you to close the skies, and you will close the skies, and you will have no choice. So what?" he said, TASS reports.

The Deputy Prime Minister indicated that the possible restriction will affect a significant number of flights, and the cargo transportation system may also be disrupted. "All these hundreds of flights a week, where will they go? Well, they will go through Tbilisi, of course," he continued. "The same thing with the transfers at the border - you know this, because the Armenian truck will get to Verkhniy Lars, then the cargo will be transferred to a Belarusian or Russian truck, which will take the cargo to Russia, and the Armenian driver will go back to Armenia. This is what can really happen."

"And we cannot ignore this and not think about these issues. We think about it, we evaluate it," Overchuk emphasized.

On January 9, the Armenian government approved the draft law on the beginning of the process of joining the European Union, proposed by the civil initiative "Eurakve". The draft was sent to the Armenian parliament for approval. On March 26, the country's parliament adopted it in the final reading and sent it to the president for signature.  Moscow stated that Russia had conveyed to Armenia that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union was impossible.