Lavrov says Brussels bureaucracy will make Armenia ‘earn’ every euro of its €15M tranche

Commenting on the situation in Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that it is impossible to adopt EU standards while remaining a member of the Eurasian Economic Union․

“I have repeatedly discussed the interconnection between EU and EAEU membership. I discussed this with my counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during my visit to Yerevan. However, for anyone familiar with the principles of EAEU and EU operations, it is clear that it is impossible to adopt EU standards while remaining an EAEU member,” Lavrov said during a press conference summarizing Russia’s 2025 diplomatic activities․

Lavrov added that Russia’s Deputy PM Alexey Overchuk has repeatedly explained this principle to his Armenian counterparts.

He also said that Armenia will have to “work for” every cent of the €15 million tranche provided by the EU.

“Recently, a €15 million tranche was provided to Armenia, and I have no doubt that Brussels bureaucracy will make our Armenian friends earn every euro of this €15 million tranche,” Lavrov said.

Russia’s foreign minister urged the Armenian people to seriously consider the Moldovan scenario ahead of parliamentary elections in June, following statements by European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas.

Lavrov stated that the Moldovan scenario involves blatant manipulation in European diaspora polling stations, without which Moldova’s current leader Maia Sandu would have lost.