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Akbar Novruz

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Armenia will make its own decision on whether to pursue membership in the European Union (EU) or remain in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) if the issue becomes a concrete matter, Armenian Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan said in an interview with Russian television.

Simonyan said that if a referendum on Armenia’s EU membership or continued participation in the EAEU were held in the near future, the result would likely disappoint many people in Russia.

He attributed this sentiment to what he described as Armenia’s dissatisfaction with Russia’s position during the 2020 war and subsequent developments, as well as statements made by Russian journalists, public figures and officials and representatives of the Belarusian authorities.

At the same time, Simonyan stressed that Armenia has not currently taken concrete steps toward joining the EU.

“We will make our choice when that matter becomes real. There are currently no concrete steps towards joining the European Union. We do not want and are not preparing to leave the EAEU,” he said.

Simonyan also addressed Armenia’s request for Russia to transfer management of the country’s railway system to a third party, insisting that the move should not be viewed as political.

“We ask the Russian side to show flexibility and for these railways to operate. Otherwise, the current logic fits into the expression ‘A dog in a manger,’” he said.

He added that if no solution could be reached, Armenia could take the matter to court, arguing that the operation of the country’s railway network is a matter of national security.

Simonyan: Armenia Has Long Known It Can Leave CSTO

Simonyan also said Armenia had long been aware that it could withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), but initially chose to freeze its participation.

“We knew about it when the CSTO did not respond in any way during the invasion of the territory of Armenia by the troops of a third country; they did not respond not only militarily, but also politically,” Simonyan said.

He also referred to comments by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko about preparations for military operations with Azerbaijan, saying these developments further demonstrated Armenia’s concerns about the CSTO.

“We knew that we could withdraw from the CSTO, but we decided to freeze [our membership in it],” he said.

According to Simonyan, Armenia initially refrained from taking further steps in order to give time for the situation to be resolved.

“At the initial phase, we gave time so that it would be possible to somehow smooth everything out. But the time for a response has long run out, so now the prime minister of Armenia has announced what he announced,” he said.