Putin to Reiterate Moscow's Stance on Armenia's EU Bid at Bishkek Meeting with Pashinyan

Russian President Vladimir Putin will reiterate Moscow's stance regarding Yerevan's intentions to seek European Union membership during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek on September 1, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"High-level contacts are always significant. The President will certainly use this meeting to restate our arguments. However, we cannot be more Armenian than the Armenians themselves. Ultimately, the Armenian people must decide their own path, and we suggest they do so through a referendum," Peskov stated.

Peskov recalled that leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) adopted a similar position in a joint statement during their recent summit in Astana, noting that this issue will form the core of the upcoming bilateral talks.

N.Tebrizli