Yerevan /Mediamax/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin believes that “if Armenia chooses the EU, it will objectively entail a revision of the established economic relations that currently exist between Yerevan and its EAEU partners.”

“This will likely be a rather painful process, including, unfortunately, for the Armenian population. It will be reasonable to assume that the country’s leadership will explain to its population what they can lose by leaving the EAEU and what they can really gain from EU membership,” the diplomat said in an interview with Izvestia.

“Our Armenian colleagues, apparently, will have to decide at some point which direction they are following: integration with the European Union or continued participation in Eurasian integration through the EAEU. This participation gives obvious benefits to the population of Armenia. And it is expressed first of all in very significant figures of GDP growth in Armenia. Last year it was about 6%,” Galuzin noted.

He drew attention to the fact that “even today Armenia’s trade turnover with each of the EU countries is significantly lower than with Russia.”

“Not to mention that the EU openly pursues a hostile policy towards Russia, Armenia’s key economic partner and strategic ally. This policy reflects an obsessive and maniacal desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and weaken our country. It involves obstructing any initiatives aimed at a political and diplomatic resolution of the crisis in Ukraine, at achieving peace, and attempting to sow discord between Russia and its strategic partners and allies in the CIS, EAEU, and CSTO. I hope official Yerevan sees this situation and assesses it accordingly,” the Russian deputy foreign minister said.