It is up to Armenia to decide what kind of jam it will make - RF  vice-premier 

ArmInfo.Armenia needs to decide between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the EU, otherwise it won't know what kind of jam it will make, says Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk.

"If, say, Armenia joins the European Union, it means new standards  and new technical regulations will emerge there that don't comply  with ours. A simple example: you want to set up a jam production  facility.  You need to purchase some equipment. Will you purchase  this equipment according to European standards or Eurasian  standards?" Overchuk gave this example in an interview with TASS on  the sidelines of the St.  Petersburg International Economic Forum  (SPIEF). "Until you have an answer to this very simple and obvious  question, you won't be able to decide what kind of jam you'll make,  what packaging it'll come in, what the product description will be,  what the requirements are, and in what languages. You'll need to  understand all of this," the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

He pointed out that "if Armenia is moving toward joining the European  Union, it must decide and make a choice about where to be." "In this  regard, the statement adopted by the four EAEU leaders at the recent  Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Astana clearly calls on the  Armenian leadership to consider holding a referendum as soon as  possible," Overchuk recalled.

In his opinion, this would be in everyone's interests, as the current  precarious position creates uncertainty, especially for investors.

"Uncertainty harms everyone, including Armenia itself. Therefore, the  EAEU leaders asked for a decision to be made as soon as possible,"  the Russian Deputy Prime Minister noted. On May 9, Russian President  Vladimir Putin, speaking to journalists, suggested that Armenia  decide on its membership in the EU and the EAEU as soon as possible,  expressing its readiness to "begin a civilized divorce" if necessary.  Yerevan responded by stating that it would leave the EAEU whenever it  deemed it necessary. On May 29, the heads of four of the five EAEU  countries adopted a resolution recommending that Armenia hold a  referendum on its continued membership in the EAEU. That same day,  the Russian president stated that Armenia could not sit on two sides  and needed to make a choice as soon as possible.

On January 9, 2025, the Armenian government approved a draft law on  the start of the accession process to the European Union, proposed by  the "Eurakve" civic initiative. The draft law was submitted to the  Armenian parliament for approval. On March 26, the parliament adopted  it in its final reading and sent it to the president for signature.  The document was signed on April 4 of that year. Moscow stated that  Russia had conveyed to Armenia that simultaneous membership in the  Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union was impossible.