A possible break in relations between Russia and Armenia would be disastrous for the latter, since 98 percent of the country's agricultural products and more than 90 percent of alcoholic beverages are exported to the Russian market, while the European Union market is completely closed and protected and has virtually insurmountable barriers. The second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, who heads the electoral list of the "Armenia" bloc in the parliamentary election on June 7, stated this in an interview with the Russian RBC television.

Kocharyan said that the consequences of a hypothetical break in Armenia-Russia relations would be disastrous for Yerevan, since no one knows where this huge volume of goods would go in such a scenario, and the current Armenian authorities are not even trying to show that they have any specific direction in mind. Meanwhile, for Moscow, he added, this move will go unnoticed, since Armenia’s share in Russia’s foreign trade is only about 0.7 percent, and the Russian side will be able to instantly replace these goods from Armenia with products from other countries, since vegetables, flowers, and everything else will be replaced very quickly. Robert Kocharyan called any attempt to play on economic ties foolish, noting: “Playing with everything that feeds your economy and gives you the opportunity to develop is simply short-sighted.”

Responding to a question about Russia’s internal budgetary problems, the former Armenian head of state said that Armenia’s economy depends not on direct “injections” from the Russian budget, but on the stable operation of a huge market, adding: “It’s not about the Russian budget somehow financing us, it’s about the Russian ruble, which enables Armenia’s economy to breathe.” According to him, this market is so large that its purchasing power can only have a minor impact on import volumes. Kocharyan stated that the deterioration of Armenia-Russia relations will inevitably lead to an increase in Russian natural gas prices in Armenia. “The main question is whether or not our economies will remain competitive in the new technical and economic conditions,” Kocharyan noted.

The second president of Armenia severely criticized the incumbent Armenian authorities, stating that “today Armenia’s government is pursuing a foreign policy that contradicts the country’s economic interests,” and added that “this is the only case in international practice.”

He noted that statements like “Armenia will withstand a [Russian natural] gas price increase” are irresponsible. “Of course, it is possible to withstand, but the question arises: at what cost?”

Robert Kocharyan said that the opportunity for a small country like Armenia to freely use a huge market is the only way to have its own industry and develop agriculture.

"In the current situation, any talk about [Armenia’s] rapid accession to the European Union is just a beautiful fairy tale, which, perhaps, is useful to dream about. But when any politician begins to live with fairy-tale ideas about the world, the people pay its price," the former president of Armenia concluded.