The decision to join the European Union (EU) is the choice of the Armenian people, but Yerevan must take into account the changing nature of the EU, which is turning from an economic union into a military-political one, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said, TASS reports.

"If they [i.e. Armenia] ever officially start such negotiations, they will last for many years. And we, of course, need to look at the dynamics of the European Union, what it is turning into. And here, of course, we need to pay attention and follow the statements being made today by the European Commission and Brussels, which are related to the fact that the European Union is turning from an economic union into a military-political union; this must also be taken into account. And the essence of the European Union is changing before our eyes," the Russian deputy premier noted.

“Are Armenians ready to join a military-political union which is now very aggressive towards the Russian Federation? Perhaps Armenians will also have to ask themselves this question. In any case, of course, it has been repeatedly said that the choice in favor of this or that integration union is always the choice of the Armenian people,” Overchuk added.

“And here, it is obvious that some decisions must be made at a certain moment, because, indeed, this has been discussed a lot both here [in Russia] and in Armenia. [Armenian PM] Nikol Vovayevich [Pashinyan] has spoken about this. Everyone understands that Armenia cannot be a member of two integration unions at the same time. Therefore, if such a choice is ever made, it will be of a complex nature, taking into account the dynamics that we see today in the change in the essence of the European Union,” the Russian deputy PM concluded.