Armenia`s withdrawal from EAEU could result in economic collapse for  country - ex-president 

ArmInfo.  Armenia's withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will be unnoticed in Russia, but for Armenia it will result in economic collapse. This was stated  by Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia and leader of  the opposition bloc "Armenia," in the latest episode of the "Big  Politics" podcast.

He noted that an Armenian official recently said that Armenia would  leave the EAEU if Russia raised gas prices for the republic. "Who  will Armenia's withdrawal from the EAEU hurt? 35-40% of our foreign  trade is with Russia. If you include all transactions that circumvent  sanctions, it's around 60%. And what is Armenia's share of trade with  Russia, can you tell me? It was only 0.3% in 2022, before the  Russia-Ukraine conflict, and now it has grown to 0.5-0.7%. That's a  percentage no one will notice. You're severing relations. In Russia,  no one will even notice. For Armenia, it will be a collapse. The  well-being of 80% of Armenia's residents depends to some extent on  relations with Russia. The country's leader cannot pursue a foreign  policy that runs counter to the country's economic interests. This is  a blow to the well-being of citizens," the former Armenian president  emphasized.

Responding to a question about the prospects for exports to the EU,  Kocharyan noted that a tiny percentage of Armenian products goes to  Europe: less than 1% of agricultural products, about 3-5% of wine  products, and about 3% of cognac.

He added that he had studied this issue three years ago and recently  decided to refresh his knowledge and confirmed that nothing had  changed in terms of supply volumes. Kocharyan noted that wine,  cognac, and greenhouse products are 100% going to Russia. "These  people should understand that they're constantly provoking a bear.  But they should also understand that this bear could backfire so hard  that their country faces collapse. What will these people do if  Russia suddenly changes its policy toward Armenia?" the politician  asked.

In this vein, the former Armenian president called on everyone  involved in agriculture and greenhouse farming to consider the  consequences of the policy of leaving the EAEU. "Let them evaluate  their loans and consider the consequences," the former president  remarked.

He added that no one is telling them to become enemies of Europe.  "We're saying there's no need to compare one to the other. Don't get  caught up in this feud between Europe and Russia. You can earn money  through relations with Russia and spend it in Europe," Kocharyan  noted. He recalled that between 100,000 and 200,000 Armenians travel  to Russia for seasonal work every year. The politician added that  Russia has significantly tightened its immigration policy, and  wondered what would happen to these people if Russia closed the  border to them. Would they go to Europe?

Kocharyan also called it a mistake to think that while anti-Russian  sentiment is being generated in Armenia, anti-Armenian sentiment  isn't being fueled in Russia at the same time. It should be noted  that according to the RA Statistical Committee, foreign trade  turnover between Armenia and the EAEU countries decreased by 36.9% in  2025, exceeding $8 billion. At the same time, the volume of export  deliveries decreased by 5% to $3.2 billion, against the backdrop of a  decrease in imports by 48.5% to $4.8 billion. Mutual trade with  Russia during the reporting period showed a decline of 38.3%,  amounting to $7.6 billion. A decrease in exports was recorded at the  level of 6.9% to $2.9 billion, with a decline in imports by 49.2% to  $4.7 billion.