YEREVAN. - If certain figures of Yelk (Way Out) Bloc and specifically Bright Armenia don’t welcome Armenia’s accession to the EAEU, it is their business.

Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly (NA), Spokesperson for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Eduard Sharmazanov, told the aforementioned to journalists after the RPA Supreme Body session on Thursday, referring to the statement of MP Edmon Marukyan on the ban to work in Russia by Armenian driver’s license and violation of the EAEU agreement to the detriment of the Armenian citizens.

“I should note that Armenia’s accession to the EAEU is not only a political decision, but one based on economic calculations. When we made a decision on acceding to the EAEU, we made concrete calculations. We joined a 170 million market and the number of tourists drastically grew in Armenia and Artsakh, their vast majority coming exactly from the EAEU. We shouldn’t make political statements without serious substantiations. Have those calling for exit asked farmers and urban citizens whether they have thought of the harm, which rural households, apricot, grape and brandy production will suffer if we withdraw from the EAEU. Have they estimated that? Currently there is no alternative to the EAEU,” he said.

Referring to the proposal made by Speaker of Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin on giving Russian the status of official language so that the national driver’s licenses are recognized in Russia, Sharmazanov noted that that statement cannot even be subject to discussion.

“It was not even a statement subject to discussion. It is a shame to hold discussion about that. The only official language of the republic is Armenian: this is a constitutional norm and Armenian will remain the only official language. This is precise and final,” he said.

Sharmazanov also noted that in order to resolve the issue related to working by Armenian driver’s licenses in Russia, the EAEU has requested the Russian side to make an exclusion for the Armenian nationals.