No alternative formed yet, the issue of an EU referendum is not on the agenda: Pashinyan

ArmInfo. Alina Hovhannisyan. Holding a  referendum on EU membership is possible only when an alternative has  been formed and the government has answers to all the questions of  interest to the people, as stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan  during a press-briefing on July 30.

He reiterated that to hold a referendum, Armenia would, at a minimum,  have to apply to the EU for membership or have candidate status.  "Only then will holding a referendum  become necessary and logical,"  the prime minister said.

At the same time, Pashinyan noted that he has asked Russia to treat  Armenia's stance with understanding and respect, especially since the  country's practical legitimacy is not being questioned. "Yes, they  say you have the right to alternatives, but today you decide which  alternative you choose. I say it hasn't been formed yet. It would be  unfair to ask the people about an unformed alternative now—whether  you want it or not," the head of government said.

Commenting on developments in Armenian-Russian relations, Pashinyan  stated that the core issue is that the Republic of Armenia wanted to  have alternatives. In this regard, he recalled that today the RA  maintains strategic relations with China, the US, Great Britain, the  Netherlands, and France, whereas previously it did not have—or could  not have—strategic partnerships with so many actors. "The Russian  position is this: either exclusive relations, or they cannot exist.  We do not share this approach and say that relations are not  exclusive, but they must exist. This is a legitimate position," the  head of government said.

At the same time, he expressed indignation over statements claiming  that Armenia is a good or bad partner for the Russian Federation. In  this regard, the prime minister questioned in what way the Republic  of Armenia had been a bad partner, and what it had done to cause the  CSTO to fail to fulfill its obligations in 2022.

"How was the RA bad, and why didn't Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh  fulfill their duties? Is the issue the statement adopted in Prague in  October 2022? But there were events before that as well. How was the  Republic of Armenia bad? Had it harmed Belarus in some way for the  President of Belarus to declare that Armenia is not needed by anyone?  How can anyone speak about a sovereign country in such a way? My  much-respected colleague, the President of Belarus, has long looked  for the answer to this question. And now we are showing who needs the  Republic of Armenia—China, Iran, the US, the European Union, Georgia,  France, Great Britain, Germany, and Armenia also needs these partner  countries," the prime minister noted.