Armenia must decide on holding a nationwide referendum on whether to join the European Union (EU) or to remain in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) by December 2026, when the meeting of the heads of the EAEU member states will discuss possible further steps towards Yerevan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with TASS.

“It is obvious that if the call for a referendum is not heard by that time, the [EAEU] leaders will take this fact into account when deciding on further appropriate joint steps [regarding Armenia],” Galuzin added.

The Russian deputy foreign minister recalled that “the joint statement of the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, adopted on May 29, on Armenia’s European aspirations, speaks of the need to hold a nationwide referendum in this country in the shortest possible time on joining the European Union or further remaining part of the EAEU, but without specifying a specific timeframe.”

“At the same time, it has already been noted that this issue will be discussed again at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council to be held in December, when the heads of state will be presented with a report on the possible consequences of suspending the functioning of the EAEU treaty of May 29, 2014 with respect to Armenia,” Mikhail Galuzin added.