Possible Exit of Armenia from EAEU to be Discussed in Astana

ArmInfo. The member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will discuss Armenia's desire to join the European Union and its possible exit from the EAEU at a meeting on May 29. Yuri Ushakov, Aide to the President, informed journalists about this during a briefing. He shared details of Vladimir Putin's upcoming state visit to Kazakhstan on May 27-29 and his participation in the summit of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. This was reported by the Vedomosti newspaper.

The article notes that the leaders of the EAEU countries will discuss Armenia's plans to join the European Union off the agenda in a narrow format. "And, of course, an assessment will be made of the risks arising in this regard for the economic security of the EAEU member states," Ushakov said. He reminded that Putin has repeatedly publicly stated Russia's stance on these plans: simultaneous membership in two blocs is impossible. "And it will not work," Ushakov emphasized.

Eurasian integration has brought many benefits to Armenia, Ushakov stated. Since 2014, when Armenia was not yet a member of the EAEU, the country's GDP has almost doubled—from $11.6 billion to $22.2 billion. Real wages have increased by 50%. Armenia's exports to EAEU countries grew 10-fold, while imports from EAEU states increased 4.5-fold. By the end of 2025, EAEU countries, primarily Russia, accounted for 38.5% of Armenia's total export supplies or 37.5% of Armenia's total foreign trade.

According to Ushakov, thanks to Eurasian integration, Armenia has been showing "impressive growth rates" for five consecutive years—in 2022 GDP increased by 12.6%, in 2023 by 8.7%, in 2024 by 5.9%, and in 2025 by 7.2%. "These are real figures showing that Armenia derives colossal benefits from cooperation within the EAEU," Ushakov said.

When asked by Vedomosti whether any recommendations regarding the exclusion of Armenia from the EAEU could be tabled at the meeting, Ushakov said that "according to the fundamental principles of cooperation within the EAEU, it is impossible to exclude a country from cooperation within this union by any decision." "An option is possible where the country itself declares that, for one reason or another, it is terminating cooperation. But discussing the consequences of such a step is, of course, necessary. This will be done during the narrow-format meeting," Ushakov noted.

When asked whether Armenia had submitted an application to withdraw from the EAEU, Ushakov replied: "You know what decisions have been made by the leadership of Armenia in the context of a possible accession or expansion of cooperation with the EU, and what plans Armenia has." "And this, of course, cannot but cause concern among other countries that cooperate with Armenia within the EAEU. Therefore, all these issues are already being widely discussed, and the leaders will undoubtedly talk about them when they meet," Ushakov said.