There are no grounds at present for holding a referendum in Armenia on whether to remain in the Eurasian Economic Union or pursue membership in the European Union, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

Armenia will continue operating within the Eurasian Economic Union “as long as the choice between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union does not become unavoidable,” Pashinyan said, adding that any such decision ultimately belongs to the Armenian people.

Until Armenia formally applies for European Union membership or nears candidate status, holding a referendum on the question would be illogical, Pashinyan said. The choice remains theoretical, and putting a theoretical choice to a referendum was neither reasonable nor appropriate and had no basis.

Pashinyan said Armenia would work “calmly, peacefully, without nerves, without disputes within the Eurasian Economic Union.”

At the end of May, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint statement calling on Armenia to hold a referendum and decide whether it will remain in the Eurasian Economic Union or continue pursuing EU membership. In their view, Yerevan’s preparations for joining the EU pose “significant risks to economic security” for EAEU member states.

Parliamentary elections are set to take place in Armenia on June 7. Against this backdrop, relations between Moscow and Yerevan have sharply deteriorated. Russia has accused Armenia’s current prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, of pursuing a pro-Western course. In response to Yerevan’s efforts to move closer to the European Union, Russia has begun imposing restrictions on imports from Armenia. At the same time, on June 1, Putin congratulated Pashinyan on his birthday, and the two leaders spoke by phone.